Representing

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɛpɹɪˈzɛntɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Performing the role of speaking or acting for a person, group, or idea
2. Serving as a delegate or embodiment of an individual, organization, or concept
3. Acting in place of or symbolizing someone or something else in communication or action

Etymology: The verb "represent" was built in English from "re-" and "present", and its sense of standing in for someone is older than many people expect. Its Latin ancestor "repraesentare" meant to bring something into the presence of others, to make present what was absent. Latin also carried the sense of presenting or producing something in front of people, which is the thread that runs from physical display to the idea of standing in for another. The word came into English through Old French "representer", which is why it displaced the native Old English "spelian", meaning to speak for or stand in for someone. That older English word survives only in the sense of speaking on someone's behalf, so the borrowed term took over most of its work. Because "represent" is formed from "re-" plus "present", the English verb carries the same sense of bringing something forward again that its Latin parts suggest. Its modern meanings of speaking or acting for a person, group, or idea all grow from that single image of making the absent present in front of others.

Synonyms: depicting, portraying, illustrating, signifying, symbolizing

Antonyms: hiding, concealing, obscuring, masking, disguising