Represent

How to spell represent

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce represent

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does represent mean?

1. verbTo act or speak officially on behalf of another person or group.
2. verbTo stand for, depict, or symbolise something.

Represent in a sentence

• A solicitor will represent you in court next month.

• The green line on the chart can represent projected revenue.

• Two senators represent each state in the upper chamber.

• These figures represent a sharp rise in monthly sales.

Where does represent come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb repraesentare, which meant 'to make present, to show, or to exhibit'. It was built from the prefix re-, used here as an intensifier, and praesentare, meaning 'to present or place before', itself from praesens, 'being at hand'. English took the word in the late 1300s through Old French representer, at first with the sense of bringing something vividly before the mind or eye, as in a picture or a play. From that visual idea it broadened to mean standing in for someone or acting on their behalf, the meaning now common in politics and law. The buried 'present' inside the spelling is the reliable memory hook: keep the whole word 'present' intact after 're-', and the troublesome middle vowels fall into place.

How the word is built

• re- (intensive/again)
• present (from Latin praesentare: to bring before, set in view)