Deputy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛpjəti/

Definitions

1. A person appointed to act as a substitute or assistant to someone in a position of authority
2. An individual serving as an assistant or substitute for someone in a leadership role, responsible for carrying out delegated tasks and making decisions in their absence
3. Someone authorized to support or represent a higher-ranking official ; a person empowered to act on behalf of another in a formal role

Etymology: The Latin verb "deputare" meant "to prune" or, more loosely, "to allot, assign, count off," literally to cut away or separate something from the whole and set it apart for a particular purpose. From its past participle "dēputātus" ("appointed" or "assigned") came the Old French "deputer," which meant to designate someone for a task or mission. The sense of a person delegated to act on another's behalf grew out of this idea of being singled out and assigned. The word arrived in English through French, where "député" meant a person chosen to represent or act for others. English speakers used it for someone sent to stand in for a superior, and over time the role settled into the familiar idea of a second-in-command who acts under an appointed official. The same root gave English "deputation," a group of people chosen to speak or act for others, which shows how closely the two words still track the original notion of being selected and sent out.

Synonyms: assistant, substitute, delegate, representative

Antonyms: boss, chief, superior