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surrogate

surrogate [ súrrəgət ]

adjective

Definition:

substituting for somebody or something: taking the place of somebody or something else

noun (plural surrogates)

Definition:

1. somebody as substitute: somebody who acts as a replacement for somebody else

2. woman who gives birth for another: a woman who bears a child for a couple, with the intention of handing it over at birth. She is usually either artificially inseminated with the man's sperm or implanted with a fertilized egg from the woman.

3. psychology substitute authority figure: a respected person who replaces a lost or nonexistent parent in somebody's unconscious, e.g. a teacher or older sibling

transitive verb (3rd person present singular surrogates, present participle surrogating, past and past participle surrogated)

Definition:

appoint as stand-in: to put somebody in somebody else's place

[Mid-16th century. < Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare 'ask for in place of' < rogare 'ask, beg']

surrogacy [ súrrəgəssi ] noun

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