proxy
n. C / Un. a person or thing that acts for someone else. You use this when one person has the legal power to vote or make a choice for another person.
n. the authority to represent someone else, especially in voting; also refers to a person or variable that stands in for another. Often used in technical contexts to describe a measurable value used to represent a more complex concept.
I cannot attend the meeting, so my colleague will act as my proxy.
The board members who were absent sent their votes by proxy to ensure their voices were heard.
In climate science, tree rings serve as a proxy for historical temperature data, allowing researchers to reconstruct weather patterns from centuries before the invention of the thermometer.
Inherited from Middle English procucie, contraction of procuracie, from Anglo-Norman procuracie, from Medieval Latin procuratia, from Latin prōcūrātiō, from Latin prōcūrō (“I manage, administer”) (English procure). Compare proctor.
proximity + -y.
Often used in the phrase 'by proxy' to describe an action performed by a representative.