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Origin and history of vicegerent

vicegerent(n.)

"officer deputized to exercise the powers of a higher authority, deputy," 1530s, from Medieval Latin vicegerentem (nominative vicegerens), from Latin vicem, accusative of vicus "stead, place, office," (see vicarious) + gerens, present participle of gerere "to carry" (see gest). From 1570s as an adjective. Related: Vicegerency.

also from 1530s

Entries linking to vicegerent

gest(n.)

"famous deed, exploit," more commonly "story of great deeds, tale of adventure," c. 1300, from Old French geste, jeste "action, exploit, romance, history" (of celebrated people or actions), from Medieval Latin gesta "actions, exploits, deeds, achievements," noun use of neuter plural of Latin gestus, past participle of gerere "to carry on, wage, perform," which de Vaan says is considered to be from the same root as agere "to set in motion, drive forward, do, perform" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move"). Now only as a deliberate archaism. Jest (n.) is the same word, with a decayed sense.

vicarious(adj.)

1630s, "taking the place of another," from Latin vicarius "that supplies a place; substituted, delegated," from vicis "a change, exchange, interchange; succession, alternation, substitution" (from PIE root *weik- (2) "to bend, to wind"). Compare vicar.

It is attested by 1690s as "done or experienced in place of another" (usually in reference to punishment, often of Christ); by 1925 (implied in vicariously) as "experienced imaginatively through another." Related: Vicariousness.

Earlier in physiology, of organs, "performing the function normally belonging to another, compensatory" (1780). Middle English used Anglicized vicari as "substituted, vicarious" (c. 1400) and from sense in the Latin adjective 17c. English writers formed vicarial "delegated, deputed," vicarian "governed by a deputy."

viceregent(n.)

also vice-regent, "deputy regent," 1580s, from vice- + regent (n.). Difficult to distinguish from vicegerent. Related: Viceregal.

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    c. 1400, "subordinate officer, one given the full power of an officer without holding the office," from Anglo-French deputé, noun use of past-participle of Old French députer "appoint, assign" (14c.), from Late Latin deputare "to destine, allot," in classical Latin "to esteem, co
    surrogate
    early 15c., "a substitute, person appointed or deputed by authority to act for another," from Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare/subrogare "put in another's place, substitute." This is from an assimilated form of sub "in the place of, under" (see sub-) + rogare "to as
    asparagus
    plant cultivated for its edible shoots, late 14c., aspergy; earlier sparage (late Old English), from Latin asparagus (in Medieval Latin often in the form sparagus), from Greek asparagos/aspharagos, which is of uncertain origin; perhaps with euphonic a- + PIE root *sp(h)er(e)g- "t
    cirrhosis
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    compass
    c. 1300, "space, area, extent, circumference," from Old French compas "circle, radius; size, extent; pair of compasses" (12c.), from compasser "to go around, measure (with a compass); divide equally," from Vulgar Latin *compassare "to pace out," from Latin com "with, together" (s
    stymie
    1857, in golf, "put a player in the position where an opponent's ball is directly in the line of approach to the hole;" from stymie (n.) "condition in which an opponent's ball blocks the line of approach to the hole" (1834). It is of uncertain origin, perhaps from Scottish stymie
    pharmacy
    late 14c., farmacie, "a medicine that rids the body of an excess of humors (except blood);" also "treatment with medicine; theory of treatment with medicine," from Old French farmacie "a purgative" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Greek pharmakeia "a healin
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    Saturday
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    Viking
    Scandinavian pirate, 1801, vikingr, in "The History of the Anglo-Saxons" by English historian Sharon H. Turner; he suggested the second element might be connected to king: But this later was dismissed as incorrect. The form viking is attested in 1820, in Jamieson's notes to "The

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