I. ˈsərəˌgāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare, subrogare to substitute, from sub- in place of, under + rogare to ask — more at right
: to put in the place of another:
a. : to appoint as successor, deputy, or substitute for oneself
b. : substitute
II. -ˌgāt, -_gə̇t, usu -d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare, subrogare to substitute
1.
a. : a person appointed to act in place of another : delegate , deputy , substitute
the Lord Chief Justice … acted as surrogate for the Earl Marshal — Notes & Queries
college presidents or their surrogates appealed for a revival of idealism — M.J.Adler
b. : the deputy of an ecclesiastical judge (as a bishop or a bishop's chancellor) in the Church of England ; especially : one who grants marriage licenses
c. : a local judicial officer in New York and some other states who has jurisdiction over the probate of wills and testaments and the settlement of estates and often has power to appoint and supervise guardians of infants and other incompetent persons — compare prerogative court
2.
a. : something that replaces or serves as a substitute for another
the letter y as a surrogate for i — Arthur Minton
regard written language as only a surrogate of oral communication — J.B.Carroll
b. : an artificial or synthetic product used as a substitute for a natural product
c. : a representation of a person substituted through symbolizing (as in a dream) for conscious recognition of the person
persons like teachers who represent mother surrogates — R.R.Sears
Synonyms: see resource
III. adjective
: constituting a surrogate : serving in place of or standing for something else : substitute
a sort of surrogate father to him — Brendan Gill
introduces a native girl to offer the grieving husband a surrogate satisfaction — John Barkham