representation

See also: représentation

English

Etymology 1

From Late Middle English representacioun, from Old French representacion, from Latin repraesentatio. By surface analysis, represent +‎ -ation.

Alternative forms

• repræsentation (archaic)

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən
• IPA^(key): /ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛn.ˈteɪ.ʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

representation (countable and uncountable, plural representations)

1. That which represents something else.

   The Venus of Willendorf was an early representation of the female body.

   • 2012 October 8, Daniel W. Patterson, The True Image: Gravestone Art and the Culture of Scotch Irish Settlers in the Pennsylvania and Carolina Backcountry‎^[1], UNC Press Books, →ISBN, page 141:

     The second and third quarters of the shield are indecipherable on the stone but clearer in two other representations of the arms, a painted wooden funeral hatchment for Mary Davie […]

2. The act of representing.

   We are no longer happy with your representation of our company at trade events.

   • 2022 January 12, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Vere admits to Lords: IRP lacks information”, in RAIL, number 948, page 11:

     That's according to a report published in The Guardian on New Year's Eve in which several regional leaders, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, were highly critical of the apparent lack of northern representation in the decision-making process.

3. (law) The lawyers and staff who argue on behalf of another in court.

   People who cannot afford representation are eligible for government assistance.

4. (politics) The ability to elect a representative to speak on one's behalf in government; the role of this representative in government.

   The lack of representation in the British parliament was one of the main factors behind the American Revolution.

5. (mathematics) An object that describes an abstract group in terms of linear transformations of vector spaces; (more formally) a homomorphism from a group on a vector space to the general linear group (group of all bijective linear transformations) on the space.
6. A figure, image or idea that substitutes reality.
7. A theatrical performance.
8. A statement; a presentation of opinion or position, or an utterance made to influence the opinions or actions of others

Synonyms

• (image, form): likeness

Derived terms

• faithful representation (mathematics)
• group representation constituency
• lodge solemn representation
• proportional representation
• representation space
• representation term
• representation theorist
• representation theory
• ribbon representation
• under-representation, underrepresentation

 

Related terms

• represent
• representable
• representamen
• representant

Translations

that which represents something else

• Bulgarian: представяне (bg) (predstavjane)
• Catalan: representació (ca) f
• Czech: reprezentace (cs) f
• Dutch: weergave (nl)
• Finnish: esitys (fi), representaatio
• Galician: representación (gl)
• Georgian: წარმომადგენლობა (c̣armomadgenloba)
• German: Darstellung (de) f, Verkörperung (de) f
• Greek: αναπαράσταση (el) f (anaparástasi)
• Hindi: निरूपण (hi) (nirūpaṇ)
• Indonesian: representasi (id)
• Interlingua: representation
• Italian: rappresentazione (it) f
• Ladin: raprejentanza f
• Malayalam: പ്രതിനിധാനം (ml) (pratinidhānaṁ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: representasjon m

  Nynorsk: representasjon m

• Persian: نمایش‎ (fa) (namâyeš)
• Polish: reprezentacja (pl) f
• Portuguese: representação (pt) f
• Romanian: reprezentare (ro) f
• Spanish: representación (es) f
• Urdu: نُمائِنْدَگی‎ f (numā'īndagī)
• Vietnamese: sự đại diện

people who speak on behalf of another in court

• Dutch: vertegenwoordiging (nl)
• Finnish: edustaja (fi) (individual); edustus (fi) (collective)
• Hindi: नुमाइंदगी (hi) (numāindgī), प्रतिनिधित्व (hi) (pratinidhitva)
• Hungarian: jogi képviselet, védelem (hu)
• Indonesian: representasi (id)
• Italian: rappresentanza (it) f
• Marathi: प्रतिनिधित्व n (pratinidhitva)
• Spanish: representación (es) f
• Urdu: نُمائِنْدَگی‎ f (numā'īndagī)

politics: ability to elect a representative

• Bulgarian: представителство (bg) n (predstavitelstvo)
• Finnish: edustus (fi), edustusoikeus
• Hungarian: képviselet (hu)
• Indonesian: representasi (id)
• Italian: rappresentanza (it)
• Malayalam: പ്രാതിനിധ്യം (ml) (prātinidhyaṁ)

mathematics: object that describes an abstract group in terms of linear transformations of vector spaces

• Finnish: kuvaus (fi)
• Hindi: निरूपण (hi) (nirūpaṇ)

figure, image or idea that substitutes reality

• Bulgarian: образ (bg) m (obraz), изображение (bg) n (izobraženie)
• Czech: vyobrazení n
• Dutch: weergave (nl)
• Finnish: mielikuva (fi)
• French: représentation (fr)
• Galician: representación (gl) f
• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 f (frisahts)
• Greek: αναπαράσταση (el) f (anaparástasi)
• Hungarian: ábrázolás (hu), megjelenítés (hu)
• Italian: rappresentazione (it)
• Persian: نمایش‎ (fa) (namâyeš)
• Polish: reprezentacja (pl) f
• Portuguese: representação (pt) f
• Romanian: înfățișare (ro) f, închipuire (ro) f, reprezentare (ro) f
• Spanish: representación (es) f
• Tagalog: talilahat

theatrical performance

• Bulgarian: представление (bg) n (predstavlenie)
• Czech: představení (cs) n
• Finnish: esitys (fi)
• French: représentation (fr) f
• Galician: representación (gl) f
• Georgian: წარმოდგენა (c̣armodgena)
• Greek: παράσταση (el) f (parástasi)
• Italian: rappresentazione (it) f
• Persian: نمایش‎ (fa) (namâyeš)
• Polish: przedstawienie (pl) n
• Romanian: reprezentare (ro) f
• Spanish: representación (es) f

statement made to influence opinions

• Hindi: अभ्यावेदन (abhyāvedan)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} esitus
• French: ^{(please verify)} représentation (fr)
• German: ^{(please verify)} Repräsentation f, Darstellung (de) f
• Portuguese: ^{(please verify)} representação (pt)

Etymology 2

re- +‎ presentation.

Alternative forms

• re-presentation

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɹiː.pɹə.zɛn.ˈteɪ.ʃən/

Noun

representation (plural representations)

1. (medicine) An act of representing, i.e. presenting again.

   rates of representation to the emergency department

References

• “representation”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• representation in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• “representation”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “representation”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• repenetrations