surrogate

(sŭr′ŏ-gāt)

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[L. surrogatus, substituted]

1. Something or someone replacing another; a substitute, esp. an emotional substitute for another. A surrogate may be representative for a person or a marker of a disease.
2. In psychoanalysis, the representation of one whose identity is concealed from conscious recognition as in a dream; a figure of importance may represent one's loved one.

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