WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Sub`sti*tu"tion
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [L. substitutio: cf. F. substitution.]
Definition : 1. The act of substituting or putting one person or thing in the place of another; as, the substitution of an agent, attorney, or representative to act for one in his absense; the substitution of bank notes for gold and silver as a circulating medium.

2. The state of being substituted for another.

3. The office or authority of one acting for another; delegated authority. [R.] Shak.

4. (Civil Law)

Defn: The designation of a person in a will to take a devise or legacy, either on failure of a former devisee or legatee by incapacity or unwillingness to accept, or after him. Burrill.

5. (Theol.)

Defn: The doctrine that Christ suffered vicariously, being substituted for the sinner, and that his sufferings were expiatory.

6. (Chem.)

Defn: The act or process of substituting an atom or radical for another atom or radical; metethesis; also, the state of being so substituted. See Metathesis.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913