VICAR
What does "VICAR" mean?
A parish priest in the Church of England, or a cleric acting as a representative of a higher authority.
Meanings
- In the Church of England, a member of clergy in charge of a parish. The vicar greeted the congregation at the door.
- A person who acts as a substitute or deputy for another, especially in religious office. The Pope is traditionally called the Vicar of Christ. formal
Did you know?
- A 'vicar' is literally a stand-in: the word, like 'vicarious' and the 'vice-' in vice-president, comes from Latin 'vicarius' ('substitute') - the vicar originally deputized for the rector who collected the parish income.
Word origin
From Latin 'vicarius' meaning 'substitute, deputy', from 'vicis' ('change, turn, place'); a vicar originally stood in for the rector, and the same root gives 'vicarious' and 'vice-' (as in vice-president).
Remember it
A VICAR is a stand-in, like a VICe-president - both come from Latin 'vicarius', a substitute who acts in another's place.
A little poem
He speaks for one he's never seen or met,
a borrowed voice that pays another's debt.
couplet
Wordplay
- The vicar applied for the vice-president job, reasoning he was already a professional stand-in.
What it teaches
To represent someone is to borrow their authority and their burden in equal measure.
Quick facts
What does VICAR mean?
A parish priest in the Church of England, or a cleric acting as a representative of a higher authority.
Is VICAR a valid word?
Yes — VICAR is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is VICAR?
VICAR has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does VICAR come from?
From Latin 'vicarius' meaning 'substitute, deputy', from 'vicis' ('change, turn, place'); a vicar originally stood in for the rector, and the same root gives 'vicarious' and 'vice-' (as in vice-president).
What can VICAR teach us?
To represent someone is to borrow their authority and their burden in equal measure.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.