surrogate
UK: ˈsʌrəɡət | US: ˈsɜːrəɡət
n. a substitute or replacement, especially for a person in a specific role
n. (law) a person appointed to act on behalf of another in legal matters
adj. acting as a substitute or proxy
surrogate = sur<over, above> + rog<ask> + ate<verb/noun suffix>
- sur<over, above>: From Latin super-, meaning "over" or "above."
- rog<ask>: From Latin rogare, meaning "to ask" or "to propose."
- ate<suffix>: A suffix forming nouns or verbs, often indicating an action or result.
Etymology Origin:
The word surrogate originates from Latin surrogatus, the past participle of surrogare ("to substitute"), combining super- (over) and rogare (to ask). Historically, it referred to someone appointed to act in place of another, particularly in legal or official contexts. The core idea is "to ask (rog) in place of (sur) another," evolving into its modern sense of a substitute or stand-in.
She served as a surrogate mother for the couple unable to conceive.
The judge appointed a legal surrogate to make decisions for the incapacitated patient.
The team used a surrogate measure to estimate the actual data.
He acted as a surrogate for the CEO during the meeting.
The surrogate key in the database ensured unique identification of records.