Someone's position or role, especially when they are replaced or when someone serves in their place (often used in the phrase 'in someone's stead').
From Old English 'stede,' meaning 'place' or 'location,' related to German 'Statt.' Over time, it evolved from a physical place to mean the role or position occupied by a person in that place, creating the modern meaning of serving as a substitute.
The phrase 'stand in good stead' originally meant 'to stand in a good position,' but now it means 'to be useful or beneficial in the future'—it's one of those rare cases where a spatial metaphor became so successful that we barely remember it was ever about actual standing. George Washington serving as the first president did so 'in the stead' of the absent British king, replacing not just a person but an entire governmental concept.
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