substitute, replacement
used in place of, substitute
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Ersatz Definition from Language, Idioms & Slang Dictionaries & Glossaries
ersatz
adj : artificial and inferior; "ersatz coffee"; "coffee substitute" [syn: imitation, substitute(p) ]
Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one; artificial.
EG:Then there was the sheaf of hostile letters larded with ersatz sympathy, strained sarcasm or pure spite.'' (Time for GAA to become a persuader,'' Irish Times , Monday, April 13, 1998)
EG:Then there was the sheaf of hostile letters larded with ersatz sympathy, strained sarcasm or pure spite.'' (Time for GAA to become a persuader,'' Irish Times , Monday, April 13, 1998)
Noun
1. an artificial or inferior substitute or imitation
(hypernym) substitute, replacement
Adjective
1. artificial and inferior; "ersatz coffee"; "substitute coffee"
(synonym) substitute
(similar) artificial, unreal
Ersatz Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
Ersatz means 'substituting for, and typically inferior in quality to', e.g. 'chicory is ersatz coffee'. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement. Although it is used as an adjective in English, Ersatz can only function in German as a noun on its own, or as a part in compound nouns such as Ersatzteile (spare parts) or Ersatzspieler (substitute player). While the English term often implies that the substitution is of unsatisfactory or inferior quality ("not as good as the real thing"), it does not have this connotation in German. The German word for such product is Surrogat (surrogate).
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