representative

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. One that serves as an example or type for others of the same classification.
2. n. One that serves as a delegate or agent for another.
3. n. A member of a governmental body, usually legislative, chosen by popular vote.
4. n. A member of the U.S. House of Representatives or of the lower house of a state legislature.
5. adj. Representing, depicting, or portraying or able to do so.
6. adj. Authorized to act as an official delegate or agent.
7. adj. Of or characteristic of government by representation.
8. adj. Like or typical of others of the same class.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Representing, portraying, or typifying.
2. Acting as the substitute for or agent of another or of others; performing the functions of another or of others.
3. Pertaining to or founded on representation of the people; conducted by the agency of delegates chosen by or representing the people: as, a representative government.
4. In biology: Typical; fully presenting, or alone representing, the characters of a given class or group: as, in zoölogy and botany, the representative genus of a family.
5. Representing in any group the characters of another and different group: chiefly used in the quinarian system; also, pertaining to such supposed representation: as, the representative theory.
6. In zoögeography, replacing; taking the place of, or holding a similar position: as, the llama is representative of the camel in America.
7. In psychology and logic, mediately known; known by means of a representation or object which signifies another object.
8. where fa is a function of limited variation between A and another limit, B, exceeding b, while φ (a, n) is such a function of α and the parameter n that the integral of it between the same limits is less than an assignable finite quantity, whatever value between A and B be given to b, and whatever value be given to n; and is such that when n tends toward infinity, the integral of φ (a, n) from A to b, where b is greater than A and less than B, tends toward a constant finite value. This is called a representative integral, because it is equal to the function f A multiplied by a constant.
9. n. One who or that which represents another person or thing; that by which anything is represented or exhibited.
10. n. An agent, deputy, or substitute, who supplies the place of another or others, being invested with his or their authority: as, an attorney is the representative of his client or employer; specifically, a member of the British House of Commons, or, in the United States, of the lower branch of Congress (the House of Representatives) or of the corresponding branch of the legislature in some States.
11. n. In law: One who occupies another's place and succeeds to his beneficial rights in such a way that he may also in some degree be charged with his liabilities. Thus, an heir or devisee, since, to the extent of the property to which he succeeds, he is liable for his ancestor's debts, is a representative of the ancestor; but the widow, who takes part of the estate as dower, without liability, is not deemed a representative of the deceased; nor is an officer or trustee who succeeds to the rights and powers of the office or trust a representative of his predecessor, for, though he comes under liability in respect of the office or trust as his predecessor did, he does not succeed to the liabilities which his predecessor had incurred. The executor or administrator is sometimes spoken of as the representative of the decedent, but is usually distinguished by being called the personal representative.
12. n. One who takes under the Statute of Descents or the Statute of Distributions, or under a will or trust deed, a share which by the primary intention would have gone to his parent had the parent survived to the time for taking. If a gift has vested in interest absolutely in the parent, then, upon the parent's death before it vests in possession, the child will take as successor in interest of the parent, but not as representative of the parent in this sense. But if the parent dies before acquiring any interest whatever, as where one of several heirs apparent dies before the ancestor, leaving a child or children, the other heirs take their respective shares as if the one had not died, and the child or children of the deceased take the share their deceased parent would have taken. In this case all who share are representatives of the ancestor in sense , and the child or children are also representatives of the deceased heir apparent in sense . See representation, 7.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Typical; having the same properties of interest as a larger group.
2. n. One who may speak for another in a particular capacity, especially in negotiation.
3. n. A member of a legislative or governing body who represents a constituency.
4. n. One that is taken as typical of its class.
5. n. US, politics A member of the US House of Representatives.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Fitted to represent; exhibiting a similitude.
2. adj. Bearing the character or power of another; acting for another or others.
3. adj. Conducted by persons chosen to represent, or act as deputies for, the people.
4. adj. Serving or fitted to present the full characters of the type of group; typical.
5. adj. Similar in general appearance, structure, and habits, but living in different regions; -- said of certain species and varieties.
6. adj. (Metaph.) Giving, or existing as, a transcript of what was originally presentative knowledge. See Presentative, 3 and Represent, 8.
7. n. One who, or that which, represents (anything); that which exhibits a likeness or similitude.
8. n. An agent, deputy, or substitute, who supplies the place of another, or others, being invested with his or their authority.
9. n. (Law) One who represents, or stands in the place of, another.
10. n. U.S. A member of the lower or popular house in a State legislature, or in the national Congress.
11. n. That which presents the full character of the type of group.
12. n. A species or variety which, in any region, takes the place of a similar one in another region.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an item of information that is typical of a class or group
2. adj. being or characteristic of government by representation in which citizens exercise power through elected officers and representatives
3. adj. standing for something else
4. adj. serving to represent or typify
5. n. a person who represents others
6. n. an advocate who represents someone else's policy or purpose
7. n. a member of the United States House of Representatives