Other forms: representations
Representation is standing or speaking on behalf of others. Legal representation, no taxation without representation, proportional representation.
The word covers two different things that keep getting confused: acting for people, as a lawyer or an MP does, and depicting them, as film and television do. Both matter and the arguments about each are separate. Note represent beneath it.
1nounrepresentationStanding or speaking on behalf of others.
“Workers at the factory want union representation in talks about pay.”
2noundepictionThe depiction of a group in media.
“The film was praised for its honest representation of disabled people.”
representation is an acting for, or a depicting.
Latin repraesentatio comes from repraesentare, to show or bring before, from re- plus praesens, present.
Latin
repraesentātiō
Old French
representacion
Middle English
representacioun
English, today
representation
From Late Middle English representacioun, from Old French representacion, from Latin repraesentātiō. by surface analysis, represent + -ation.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA