substitution
Pluralsubstitutions
- 1The action of putting one thing in place of another.
Like swapping one player for another during a game.
The coach made a substitution in the second half of the game.
Substitution of butter with oil changed the flavor of the cake.
Similarreplacement, swap, exchange
Note
- 2A thing or person used in place of another.
Like a spare tire that takes the place of a flat one.
This drink is a healthy substitution for soda.
When the bus broke down, the van was a quick substitution.
Similarreplacement, alternative, stand-in
- 3A chemical change where one atom or group of atoms is swapped for another in a molecule.
Like taking out one building block and pushing a different one into the same spot.
In this reaction, the substitution of chlorine for hydrogen forms a new compound.
A single substitution swaps one atom in the molecule for another.
Note
- 4Making a new word from a language's own parts to match a word borrowed from another language.
Like making your own version of a toy instead of buying the foreign brand.
The committee preferred substitution, building a native word instead of borrowing the English one.
Through substitution, the language gained a homegrown term for the new technology.
Note
Practice
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Origin
It comes from Middle French substitution, from Late Latin substitutio.