an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
to serve to express, designate, stand for, or denote, as a word, symbol, or the like does; symbolize: In this painting the cat represents evil and the bird, good.
2.
to express or designate by some term, character, symbol, or the like: to represent musical sounds by notes.
3.
to stand or act in the place of, as a substitute, proxy, or agent does: He represents the company in Boston.
4.
to speak and act for by delegated authority: to represent one's government in a foreign country.
5.
to act for or in behalf of (a constituency, state, etc.) by deputed right in exercising a voice in legislation or government: He represents Chicago's third Congressional district.
to set forth or describe as having a particular character (usually followed by as, to be, etc.): The article represented the dictator as a benevolent despot.
10.
to set forth clearly or earnestly with a view to influencing opinion or action or making protest.
11.
to present, produce, or perform, as on a stage.
12.
to impersonate, as in acting.
13.
to serve as an example or specimen of; exemplify: a genus represented by two species.
14.
to be the equivalent of; correspond to: The llama of the New World represents the camel of the Old World.
Slang. to use or display a secret handshake, sign, gesture, etc., for purposes of identification: The gang members always represent when they see one another.
Origin: 1325–75; Middle English representen < Middle French representer < Latin repraesentāre to bring about immediately, make present, equivalent to re-re- + praesentāre to present2
late 14c., "to bring to mind by description," also "to symbolize, to be the embodiment of;" from O.Fr. representer (12c.), from L. repræsentare, from re-, intensive prefix, + præsentare "to present," lit. "to place before" (see present (2)). Legislative sense