the.com/deputy
second-in-command and first to take the fall when the sheriff's golfing.
means A person appointed to act for or in place of another, especially as an official's authorized second-in-command.
from From the Latin 'deputare,' meaning 'to assign, allot, or consider' — built from 'de-' (away) and 'putare' (to reckon, prune, think over, the same root behind 'compute' and 'dispute'). It traveled through Old French 'deputer' ('to appoint') into English, where the past participle came to name the appointed person themselves: the one reckoned fit to stand in your stead.
- latin root
- from deputare, meaning to assign or consider
- power source
- authority borrowed, never owned outright
- old west
- sheriffs deputized civilians with a verbal oath
- deputy dawg
- 1960s cartoon lawman with zero competence
- vacancy rule
- often steps up when the boss dies suddenly
for instance
deputy dog — cartoon character, hanna-barbera's dog sheriff, debuted 1959
vice president united states — constitutional role, currently kamala harris since 2021