rep·re·sen·ta·tive 1 adj
1: serving to represent
2 a: standing or acting for another esp. through delegated authority
an agent acting in a representative capacity
b: of, based on, or constituting a government in which the people are represented by individuals chosen from among them usu. by election
3: of or relating to representation
representative 2 n: one that represents another or others in a special capacity: as
a: one that represents a constituency as a member of a legislative or other governing body; specif: a member of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature
b: one that represents another as agent, deputy, substitute, or delegate and that usu. is invested with the authority of the principal
c: one that represents or stands in the place of a deceased person: personal representative
d: one that represents another as successor or heir
e: one named as the plaintiff or defendant in a class action to litigate on behalf of the class
re·prieve 1 /ri-'prēv/ vt re·prieved, re·priev·ing [alteration of earlier repry to send back (to prison), return to custody, perhaps from Anglo-French repris, past participle of reprendre to take back, from Old French]: to delay the punishment of (as a condemned prisoner)
reprieve 2 n
1 a: the act of reprieving: the state of being reprieved
b: a formal temporary suspension of the execution of a sentence esp. of death as an act of clemency
2: an order or warrant of reprieve
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.