Vicariousness
/vɪˈkɛːriəsnəs/noun
The quality of experiencing something through another person, rather than directly.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *vicarius*, meaning a substitute or deputy, from *vicis* meaning “change” or “turn,” so its deepest root is about taking someone else’s turn.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to bend, turn, or change”
Latin
Latin
vicis
“a change, turn, or succession”
Classical Latin
Latin
vicarius
“a substitute, deputy, or proxy”
Late Latin
Latin
vicariōsus
“full of substitution; acting as a stand-in”
14th–16th Century
English
vicarious
“done in place of another; delegated or substituted”
Modern English
English
vicariousness
“the state or quality of experiencing something through another”
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