substitutable

substitute ► NOUN 1) a person or thing acting or serving in place of another. 2) a sports player eligible to replace another after a match has begun.

► VERB 1) use, add, or serve in place of. 2) replace with another. 3) replace (a sports player) with a substitute during a match.

DERIVATIVES substitutable adjective substitution noun substitutive adjective.

USAGE Traditionally, substitute is followed by for and means ‘put (someone or something) in place of another’, as in she substituted the fake vase for the real one. It may also be used with with or by to mean ‘replace (something) with something else’, as in she substituted the real vase with the fake one. This can be confusing, since the two sentences shown above mean the same thing, yet the object of the verb and the object of the preposition have swapped positions. Despite the potential confusion, the second, newer use is acceptable, although still disapproved of by some people.

ORIGIN Latin substituere 'put in place of' .