Afrikaans adjunk | ||
Albanian zv | ||
Amharic ምክትል | ||
Arabic النائب | ||
Armenian տեղակալ | ||
Assamese ডেপুটি | ||
Aymara diputado ukhamawa | ||
Azerbaijani müavin | ||
Bambara depite ye | ||
Basque diputatu | ||
Belarusian намеснік | ||
Bengali সহকারী | ||
Bhojpuri डिप्टी के ह | ||
Bosnian zamjenik | ||
Bulgarian депутат | ||
Catalan diputat | ||
Cebuano representante | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 副 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 副 | ||
Corsican deputatu | ||
Croatian zamjenik | ||
Czech náměstek | ||
Danish stedfortræder | ||
Dhivehi ޑެޕިއުޓީ އެވެ | ||
Dogri डिप्टी जी | ||
Dutch plaatsvervanger | ||
English deputy | ||
Esperanto deputito | ||
Estonian asetäitja | ||
Ewe teƒenɔla | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) deputy | ||
Finnish sijainen | ||
French adjoint | ||
Frisian deputearre | ||
Galician deputado | ||
Georgian მოადგილე | ||
German stellvertreter | ||
Greek αναπληρωτής | ||
Guarani diputado rehegua | ||
Gujarati નાયબ | ||
Haitian Creole depite | ||
Hausa mataimakin | ||
Hawaiian hope | ||
Hebrew סְגָן | ||
Hindi डिप्टी | ||
Hmong tus lwm thawj coj | ||
Hungarian helyettes | ||
Icelandic staðgengill | ||
Igbo osote | ||
Ilocano diputado | ||
Indonesian wakil | ||
Irish leas | ||
Italian vice | ||
Japanese 副 | ||
Javanese wakil | ||
Kannada ಉಪ | ||
Kazakh орынбасары | ||
Khmer អនុ | ||
Kinyarwanda umudepite | ||
Konkani उपनिरीक्षक | ||
Korean 대리인 | ||
Krio diputi | ||
Kurdish wekîl | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) جێگر | ||
Kyrgyz депутат | ||
Lao ຮອງ | ||
Latin vicarium | ||
Latvian vietnieks | ||
Lingala député | ||
Lithuanian pavaduotojas | ||
Luganda omumyuka | ||
Luxembourgish stellvertrieder | ||
Macedonian заменик | ||
Maithili डिप्टी | ||
Malagasy lefitra | ||
Malay timbalan | ||
Malayalam ഡെപ്യൂട്ടി | ||
Maltese deputat | ||
Maori tuarua | ||
Marathi उप | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯗꯤꯄꯨꯇꯤ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯊꯧ ꯄꯨꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo deputy a ni | ||
Mongolian орлогч | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) လက်ထောက် | ||
Nepali सहायक | ||
Norwegian nestleder | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wachiwiri | ||
Odia (Oriya) ଡେପୁଟି | ||
Oromo itti aanaa | ||
Pashto معاون | ||
Persian قائم مقام | ||
Polish zastępca | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) deputado | ||
Punjabi ਡਿਪਟੀ | ||
Quechua diputado nisqa | ||
Romanian adjunct | ||
Russian заместитель | ||
Samoan sui | ||
Sanskrit उपः | ||
Scots Gaelic leas-cheannard | ||
Sepedi motlatšamohlankedi | ||
Serbian заменик | ||
Sesotho motlatsi | ||
Shona mutevedzeri | ||
Sindhi نائب | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) නියෝජ්ය | ||
Slovak poslanec | ||
Slovenian namestnik | ||
Somali kuxigeen | ||
Spanish diputado | ||
Sundanese timbalan | ||
Swahili naibu | ||
Swedish vice | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) representante | ||
Tajik депутат | ||
Tamil துணை | ||
Tatar урынбасары | ||
Telugu డిప్యూటీ | ||
Thai รอง | ||
Tigrinya ምክትል ምዃኑ ይፍለጥ | ||
Tsonga mupfuni | ||
Turkish vekil | ||
Turkmen orunbasary | ||
Twi (Akan) abadiakyiri | ||
Ukrainian заступник | ||
Urdu نائب | ||
Uyghur ۋەكىل | ||
Uzbek deputat | ||
Vietnamese phó | ||
Welsh dirprwy | ||
Xhosa usekela | ||
Yiddish דעפּוטאַט | ||
Yoruba igbakeji | ||
Zulu isekela |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | "Adjunk" comes from Latin "adjunctus" (joined), via Dutch "adjunct" |
| Albanian | The word "zv" in Albanian has its origins in the Latin word "vice," meaning "in place of." |
| Amharic | "In Amharic, the word for "deputy," ምክትል (məktəl), also means "aid" or "help" |
| Arabic | The word 'النائب' can also refer to a parliamentary representative or a replacement for someone. |
| Armenian | The word "տեղակալ" is derived from the root "տեղ" (place) and the suffix "-ակալ" (keeper), indicating the role of a deputy as a placeholder or caretaker in the absence of the principal. |
| Azerbaijani | The word "müavin" in Azerbaijani ultimately derives from the Arabic word "mu'āwin" meaning "helper, assistant". |
| Basque | The word "diputatu" derives from the Latin word "deputatus", which means "delegate" or "representative". |
| Belarusian | The word “намеснік” also means “representative” or “agent” in Belarusian. |
| Bengali | The word "সহকারী" originates from the Sanskrit word "सहकार" (sahakara), meaning "co-operation" or "working together" |
| Bosnian | The word "zamjenik" also means "placeholder" and "temporary substitute." |
| Bulgarian | "Депутат" derives from the Late Latin word "deputatus", meaning "chosen, selected, or appointed as a representative". |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "diputat" derives from the Latin "deputatus" meaning "sent" or "delegated" and also refers to a local politician representing a certain constituency. |
| Cebuano | The word "representante" comes from the Spanish word "representar", meaning "to represent" or "to act on behalf of someone else". |
| Chinese (Simplified) | In the ancient Chinese system of bureaucracy, the term "副" referred to an assistant or subordinate official who supported a senior official in carrying out their duties. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The character 副 can also have the alternate meaning of 'additional' or 'assistant'. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "deputatu" originates from the Latin "deputatus", meaning "sent" or "appointed". |
| Croatian | The word "zamjenik" comes from the Slavic root "zam", meaning "in place of", and the suffix "-nik", indicating a person or thing. |
| Czech | The word "náměstek" comes from the Old Slavonic word "naměstьnikъ" which means "regent" or "representative". |
| Danish | The Danish word "stedfortræder" shares a root with the Old Norse word for "stead", alluding to the deputy's role as a temporary holder of a position. |
| Dutch | Plaatsvervanger derives from the Dutch words 'plaats' (place) and 'vervanger' (replacement). |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "deputito" comes from the Latin word "deputare" which means "to assign" and is used in English as "deputy" and "deputation". |
| Estonian | "Asetäitja" is derived from "ase" ( |
| Finnish | Sijainen is a common noun in Finnish that can also refer to a "stand-in", "replacement", or "substitute". |
| French | In French, the word "adjoint" can also refer to a person who assists a mayor or a professor and is not necessarily a deputy. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "deputearre" originates from the French word "député" and also means "member of parliament". |
| Galician | The word 'deputado' can also refer to a member of the Cortes, which is the region's legislative assembly. |
| German | The German word “Stellvertreter” literally means “representative of a position” and is often used to denote deputies in positions of authority. |
| Greek | Originally, the term ἀναπληρωτής could refer to either a replacement or a substitute for a military officer. |
| Gujarati | In Sanskrit, 'naib' refers to 'near' while in French 'nayib' is a governor under the Turkish Empire |
| Haitian Creole | Haitian Creole 'depite' ('deputy') is historically and semantically related to the English word 'despite', originally connoting 'contemptuous disregard' and 'lack of consideration'. |
| Hausa | The Hausa word "mataimakin" originally meant "one who walks before the emir". |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian, “hope” means “deity that brings good things.” |
| Hebrew | Although the original meaning is "chief", the word "סגן" ("deputy") took on the meaning of "second-in-command" in many contexts. |
| Hindi | The word 'डिप्टी' ('deputy') in Hindi originates from the French word 'député', meaning 'representative' or 'agent'. |
| Hmong | Tus Lwm Thawj Coj is a title of respect similar to "master". It is also used in addressing a teacher or elder. |
| Hungarian | The word "helyettes" also means "substitute" in Hungarian. |
| Icelandic | The word is also used in the sense of "representative" or "envoy". |
| Igbo | The word "osote" in Igbo has cognates with the word "oso" meaning "to replace". |
| Indonesian | The word "wakil" in Indonesian comes from the Arabic word "wakil" meaning "representative" or "agent". |
| Irish | The word "leas" in Irish is derived from the Old Irish word "lías", meaning "lieutenant" or "vassal". |
| Italian | The word "vice" in Italian derives from the Latin word "vicarius", meaning "substitute" or "deputy". |
| Japanese | The word "deputy" can also mean "vice" or "assistant" in Japanese. |
| Javanese | The Javanese word `wakil` is derived from the Arabic word `wakil` meaning "representative" and is also used to refer to a spouse or partner. |
| Kannada | The word "ಉಪ" ("upa") in Kannada can also mean "near", "attached", or "secondary" |
| Kazakh | "Орынбасары" is also a term for a leader or a member of an organization's governing body |
| Khmer | The word 'អនុ' can also refer to a 'subordinate' or 'assistant'. |
| Korean | "대리인" can refer to a person entrusted to act as an agent for another, an attorney acting for a client, or a representative sent as a deputy. |
| Kurdish | The word "wekîl" can also mean "representative" or "agent" in Kurdish. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word "депутат" originally meant "person sent on a mission" and is derived from the Latin word "deputatus" with the same meaning. |
| Lao | The Lao word "ຮອງ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अरोग्य" (arogya), meaning "health" or "well-being". |
| Latin | Latin 'vicarium' is a derivative of 'vicis,' signifying turn, place or exchange. |
| Latvian | The word "vietnieks" in Latvian also has the alternate meaning of "representative" or "agent" |
| Lithuanian | In Lithuanian, the term “pavaduotojas” etymologically derives from the word meaning “help” or “substitute”. |
| Luxembourgish | The word "Stellvertrieder" in Luxembourgish means "deputy" in English. It is derived from the German word "Stellvertreter", which means "substitute" or "representative." |
| Macedonian | The word "заменик" also means "substitute" or "replacement" in Macedonian. |
| Malagasy | The word "lefitra" means "deputy" in Malagasy, and originates from the Arabic word "wakil" - a term used historically to refer to a person appointed and vested with authority. |
| Malay | In addition to "deputy," "timbalan" also means "vice" and "assistant" in Malay. |
| Malayalam | In Malayalam, "ഡെപ്യൂട്ടി" (deputy) can also refer to the assistant or deputy head of a department. |
| Maltese | In Maltese, "deputat" can also refer to a member of the House of Representatives. |
| Maori | 'Tuarua' means 'second', and is the traditional Maori word for a deputy, assistant, or supporter. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "उप" can also mean "near" or "close to". |
| Mongolian | "Орлогч" can also refer to "a representative or agent" and is a term derived from the Mongolian root word "орлох" which means "to replace, substitute, or represent". |
| Nepali | "सहायक" also refers to an "assistant", "help" or "support". |
| Norwegian | The word "nestleder" in Norwegian comes from the words "nest" (next) and "leder" (leader), indicating the role of a deputy as someone second in command. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wachiwiri" may have originated from the Yao language, where it means "assistant" or "second in command." |
| Pashto | The term "معاون" in Pashto can also refer to an assistant, helper, or partner, highlighting its multifaceted role in supporting individuals or institutions. |
| Persian | In modern Persian, the word قائم مقام is a combination of the Arabic words قائم (meaning "standing") and مقام (meaning "place"), and refers to a person who stands in the place of another, typically in a position of authority. |
| Polish | The word "zastępca" in Polish also means "substitute" or "replacement." |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portugal, "deputado" can also refer to municipal or regional assemblies. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, the word "adjunct" can also refer to an additional subject studied in a school or university curriculum. |
| Russian | The word заместитель derives from the Russian word заместить, meaning to replace or take the place of another. |
| Samoan | The word 'sui' also refers to a person who acts on behalf of another, or an agent. |
| Scots Gaelic | Alternate meaning of the word "leas-cheannard" ("deputy") in Scots Gaelic is "sub-chief". |
| Serbian | The word "заменик" (deputy) also means "substitute" or "replacement" in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | The word "motlatsi" is also used to refer to a chief's assistant or advisor. |
| Sindhi | "نائب" means "head" in the context of tribe or clan chief, while "نائب ریاست" means "vice president." |
| Slovak | The word "poslanec" comes from "poslat" - to send, so it is "one who is sent" to represent somebody. |
| Slovenian | Namestnik is derived from the Slavic word |
| Somali | The word "kuxigeen" in Somali originates from the Arabic word "wakīl", meaning "representative" or "agent". |
| Spanish | The word "diputado" derives from the Latin word "deputare," meaning "to appoint" or "to send away," and was used in ancient Rome to refer to a representative sent to carry out a specific task or mission. |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word "timbalan" can also mean "counterpart" or "balance". |
| Swahili | The word "naibu" can also mean "assistant" or "representative" in Swahili. |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "vice" comes from the Latin word "vicarius," meaning "one who takes the place of another." |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, "representante" can also refer to individuals who serve as representatives of their communities in various capacities, such as barangay councils or student organizations. |
| Tajik | The word депутат ("deputy") entered the Tajik language from Russian and is a borrowing from the Latin "deputatus" ("elected"). |
| Tamil | "துணை" is a Tamil word that has multiple meanings and shares an etymological root with other Dravidian languages. |
| Telugu | The word "డిప్యూటీ" can also be used to refer to a person who is appointed to act in place of another person, such as a representative or a delegate. |
| Thai | "รอง" also refers to the "back" of the body |
| Turkish | The Turkish word 'vekil' derives from the Arabic term meaning 'attorney', 'agent' or 'representative'. |
| Ukrainian | "Заступник" also means "defender" or "protector" in Ukrainian. |
| Urdu | نائب is also used to denote a viceroy, lieutenant or a representative |
| Uzbek | The word "deputat" in Uzbek, meaning "deputy," is of French origin and also refers to a type of bread distributed among workers in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in the past. |
| Vietnamese | The word "phó" is derived from the Chinese word "副", meaning "assistant" or "helper". |
| Welsh | In Welsh, the word "dirprwy" shares etymological roots with "deputy" in English, but also carries the alternate meaning of "representative". |
| Xhosa | The word "usekela" originally referred to a person who acted for a chief during their absence and later came to mean "deputy". |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "דעפּוטאַט" ("deputat") is derived from the Russian word депутат, which in turn derives from the Latin word deputāre, meaning "to assign". |
| Yoruba | Igbakeji, which literally means 'one who acts instead of another' in Yoruba, is used to refer to a substitute or replacement. |
| Zulu | "Isekelakhe is derived from the suffix 'isela', the verb stem meaning 'to act for or on behalf of', and the agentive suffix '-khe', which refers to 'the one who acts for or on behalf of' someone else." |
| English | The word "deputy" originates from the Latin word "deputare," meaning "to assign" or "to appoint." |