I. ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv adjective
Date: 14th century
1. : serving to represent
2.
a. : standing or acting for another especially through delegated authority
b. : of, based on, or constituting a government in which the many are represented by persons chosen from among them usually by election
3. : serving as a typical or characteristic example
a representative moviegoer
4. : of or relating to representation or representationalism
• rep·re·sen·ta·tive·ly adverb
• rep·re·sen·ta·tive·ness noun
• rep·re·sen·ta·tiv·i·ty -ˌzen-tə-ˈti-və-tē noun
II. noun
Date: 1635
1. : one that represents another or others: as
a.
(1) : one that represents a constituency as a member of a legislative body
(2) : a member of the house of representatives of the United States Congress or a state legislature
b. : one that represents another as agent, deputy, substitute, or delegate usually being invested with the authority of the principal
c. : one that represents a business organization
d. : one that represents another as successor or heir
2. : a typical example of a group, class, or quality : specimen