Etymology

From <

Noun

1. An appointed official whose duty is to investigate complaints, generally on behalf of individuals such as consumers or taxpayers, against institutions such as companies and government departments.
2. A designated internal mediator in an organization whose duty is to assist members with conflict resolution and other problems and to serve as independent consultant to recommend changes to policies or procedures to improve organization effectiveness and efficiency.

Noun

(plural: ombudsmans; feminine: ombudsman or ombudswoman; plural: ombudsmans or ombudswomans)

1. An appointed official within an organization whose duty is to investigate complaints against that organization by its customers, taxpayers, and sometimes employees, and often to act as a consultant to improve services and processes.

Usage notes

• In Quebec, the office in government services is called . A similar office in France is that of the , though its precise functions differ.

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Etymology

The origin of the word is found in and the word "umbuds man", meaning representative. The first preserved use in Swedish is from 1552. It is also used in the other Scandinavian languages such as the Icelandic umboðsmaður, the Norwegian ombudsmann and the Danish ombudsmand.

Noun

(def. ombudsmannen, pl. ombudsmän, pl. def. ombudsmännen)

1. ombudsman