I. ˈsəbztəˌtüt, -bst-, -tə.ˌtyüt, rapid often -bzˌt(y)üt or -bˌst(y)-; usu -üd+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin substitutus, past participle of substituere to put under, put in the place of, substitute, from sub- + -stituere (from statuere to set, place, stand up) — more at statute
1. : a person who takes the place of or acts instead of another: as
a. : an heir instituted under Roman, civil, or Scots law to succeed to property in case another heir named cannot or will not accept the succession : a conditionally appointed heir named to take possession in case another heir loses his ownership through default of some condition (as under a will or settlement)
b. : a person who enlists for military service in the place of a conscript or drafted man
2. : something that is put in place of something else or is available for use instead of something else
honey is an excellent substitute for sugar in many recipes
as
a. : something cheaper or inferior that is used instead of a standard article
margarine is not a substitute but a distinctive article
use of galvanized iron as a substitute for lead in flashing
b. : an artificial product used to replace a natural
a valuable milk substitute prepared from soybeans
c. : a word or grammatical feature that replaces another word, a phrase, or a clause, in a context
a pronoun serves as a substitute
3.
a. : any of several connections used for joining oil-well appliances that are of different sizes or that have different joint details — called also sub
b. : a special tool or part used in place of a regular tool
Synonyms: see resource
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin substitutus, past participle of substituere to substitute
transitive verb
1.
a. : to put in the place of another : exchange
substitute a new technique for the old one
b. : to introduce (as an atom or group) by substitution
substitute sulfur for oxygen in a molecule
2. obsolete : to invest with delegated authority : designate as a delegate
3. : to replace with another
substitute yesterday's steady opinions with the latest fancies
names like Jane are always substituted by the pronoun she — R.A.Hall b. 1911
4. : to nominate (a person) to take a remainder — compare substitution 1a(3)
intransitive verb
: to function, serve, or act as a substitute
III. adjective
Etymology: Latin substitutus, past participle of substituere
1. : serving as or fitted for use as a substitute
a substitute food
2. : involving the use of substitutes
substitute feeding of infants