A substitute is a person or thing that takes the place of another; to substitute means to use one person or thing instead of another.
From Latin 'substituere' meaning 'to put in place of', from 'sub' (under, in place of) + 'stituere' (to place). It has long been used for people or things that fill in for something else.
A substitute teacher, sugar substitute, or substitute player all share the same idea: a stand‑in that keeps the system running. We often treat substitutes as second‑best, but entire industries are built on clever replacements.
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