ersatz
[ er-zahts, -sahts, er-zahts, -sahts ]
/ ˈɛr zɑts, -sɑts, ɛrˈzɑts, -ˈsɑts /
adjective
serving as a substitute; synthetic; artificial: an ersatz coffee made from grain.
noun
an artificial substance or article used to replace something natural or genuine; a substitute.
RELATED WORDS
synthetic, phony, imitation, fake, sham, substitute, counterfeit, bogus, manufactured, pretended, simulated, spurious, copied, false
Nearby words
- error coin,
- error correction,
- error message,
- error of closure,
- ers,
- erse,
- ershad,
- erskine,
- erskine, john,
- erst
Origin of ersatz
1870–75; < German Ersatz a substitute (derivative of ersetzen to replace)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ersatz
ersatz
/ (ˈɛəzæts, ˈɜː-) /
adjective
made in imitation of some natural or genuine product; artificial
noun
an ersatz substance or article
Word Origin for ersatz
C20: German, from ersetzen to substitute
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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ersatz
1875, from German Ersatz "units of the army reserve," literally "compensation, replacement, substitute," from ersetzen "to replace," from Old High German irsezzen, from ir-, unaccented variant of ur- + setzen "to set" (see set (v.)). As a noun, from 1892.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper