Supplant
/səˈplænt/noun
To replace or take the place of someone or something, often by force or scheming.
Did you know?Supplant comes through Old French from Latin *subplantare*, a verb originally tied to tripping someone by the foot — a physical act that became a metaphor for political and social replacement.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*plat-
“to spread or flatten”
Latin
Latin
planta
“the sole of the foot; a sprout or shoot”
Latin
Latin
subplantare
“to trip up, especially by catching the foot”
Old French
Old French
supplanter
“to trip up; overthrow; replace”
Middle English
English
supplanten
“to trip up, overthrow, or displace”
Modern English
English
supplant
“to take the place of another, usually by force, scheming, or displacement”