The word "represent" appeared in Russian in the 19th century, but came into wide use only in the 20th. And today it does not lose its popularity in use. You can meet him in university textbooks, in important documents, hear him in an official or almost any public speech. What does the term "represent" mean? About this and much more in the article!
Etymology of the word
With minimal familiarity with at least one of the Indo-European languages (for example, English, German, French, etc.), it may not be so difficult to guess the meaning of a word. After all, all of these languages are based on Latin, and in it lies the desired basis of the word "represent" - this is the Latin repraesentare. The word is in Latin has quite a few meanings:
- Represent someone/something.
- Perform, actuate, execute.
- Pay, return (for example, a debt).
- Bring, present (arguments,arguments).
- Put into practice, carry out (any plan).
- Equal to someone/something, replace someone/something.
Meaning of the word in modern Russian
As for the existence of this word in modern Russian, we can say that after centuries it has somewhat moved away from its dead parent language. Although its ambiguity in some form has been preserved to this day. So, "to represent" is, firstly, to be a representative of something (for example, a social stratum, class, section).
Secondly, the word "represent" can mean the act of reflecting something, this or that object or form in the perception of consciousness, thinking, etc.
Using a word in speech
As mentioned above, the word "represent" can be attributed to such functional styles of the Russian language as official business and scientific. That is why showing off the knowledge of this word in a relaxed and informal atmosphere can sometimes seem quite inappropriate.
So, in the first of the two given meanings in many dictionaries we will find the mark "bookish". The second meaning is close to the environment of education and science. Quite often it can be found in the scientific works of linguists and psychologists, in these areas the term is especially popular.
As examples of usage, let's present one sentence with the given word in each of its meanings, respectively:
- Australia represents a wide variety of flora and fauna.
- The individual "dialect" of each person is formed from how this individual represents in his speech his own way of thinking and seeing the world.
