adj.
Pronunciation: v ī - ' ker- ē - ə s, v ə -
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin vicarius, from vicis change, alternation, stead ― more at WEEK
Date: 1637
1 a : serving instead of someone or something else b : that has been delegated < vicarious authority>
2 : performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another : SUBSTITUTIONARY <a vicarious sacrifice>
3 : experienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another
4 : occurring in an unexpected or abnormal part of the body instead of the usual one < vicarious menstruation manifested by bleeding from the nose>
– vi · car · i · ous · ly adverb
– vi · car · i · ous · ness noun