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er·satz

(ĕrzäts′, ĕr-zäts)

adj.

1. Being a usually inferior imitation or substitute; artificial: ersatz coffee made of chicory.

2. Not genuine; fake: "Popularity was an intoxicant ... reporters began to ask for interviews and I gave them in an ersatz accent" (Maya Angelou).

[German, replacement, from ersetzen, to replace, from Old High German irsezzan : ir-, out; see ud- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + sezzan, to set; see sed- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ersatz′ n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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