vicarious
Use Vicarious in a sentence
i adjective
1.
performed, exercised, received, or suffered in place of another: vicarious punishment.
2.
taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute.
3.
felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others: a vicarious thrill.
4.
Physiology. noting or pertaining to a situation in which one organ performs part of the functions normally performed by another.
Origin:
1630–40; < Latin vicārius substituting, equivalent to vic(is) (genitive) interchange, alternation (see vice3), + -ārius -ary; see -ous
1630–40; < Latin vicārius substituting, equivalent to vic(is) (genitive) interchange, alternation (see vice3), + -ārius -ary; see -ous
Related forms
vi·car·i·ous·ly, adverb
vi·car·i·ous·ness, vi·car·i·ism, noun
non·vi·car·i·ous, adjective
non·vi·car·i·ous·ly, adverb
non·vi·car·i·ous·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To vicarious
00:10
Vicarious
is always a great word to know.
So is heartbeat. Does it mean:
| ability to perceive stimuli |
| a pulsation of the heart, including one complete systole and diastole |
Collins
World English Dictionary
vicarious (vɪˈkɛərɪəs, vaɪ-) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | obtained or undergone at second hand through sympathetic participation in another's experiences |
| 2. | suffered, undergone, or done as the substitute for another: vicarious punishment |
| 3. | delegated: vicarious authority |
| 4. | taking the place of another |
| 5. | pathol See endometriosis (of menstrual bleeding) occurring at an abnormal site |
| [C17: from Latin vicārius substituted, from vicis interchange; see | |
| vi'cariously | |
| —adv | |
| vi'cariousness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
vicarious
1630s, from L. vicarius "substitute, deputy" (adj. and n.), from vicis "turn, change, exchange, substitution," from PIE base *weik-, *weig- "to bend, wind" (cf. Skt. visti "changing, changeable;" O.E. wician "to give way, yield," wice "wych elm;" O.N. vikja "to bend, turn;" Swed. viker "willow twig,
wand;" Ger. wechsel "change"). Related: Vicariously.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
vicarious vi·car·i·ous (vī-kâr'ē-əs, -kār'-, vĭ-)
adj.
Felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another.
Occurring in or performed by a part of the body not normally associated with a certain function.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The difference between him and everybody else is that he has refused to settle for the vicarious pleasures of the society columns.
It's a chance to take vicarious pride in modern achievement.
Horror movies provide vicarious psychotherapy in an hour and a half.
Z said, with vicarious pride in another religion's generous thought.
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