Origin: Latin suffix -ment
Replacement has 7 different meanings across 1 category:
the act of furnishing an equivalent person or thing in the place of another
"replacing the star will not be easy"
someone who takes the place of another person
"The team celebrated when their star player returned from injury, leaving his replacement to finish the game on defense."
an event in which one thing is substituted for another
"the replacement of lost blood by a transfusion of donor blood"
a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another
"After the original manager resigned, her replacement quickly learned the team's routines to keep operations running smoothly."
filling again by supplying what has been used up
"We need to replace the water in the tank before it runs out completely."
A person or thing that takes the place of another; a substitute.
"When Sarah left her job, the company hired a replacement to fill the marketing position."
In plain English: A replacement is something that takes the place of another item because it is broken or missing.
"We bought a new pair of shoes to replace the ones that wore out."
Usage: Use replacement to describe someone who permanently fills a vacancy, such as an employee taking over after retirement. Distinguish it from temporary substitutes by noting that replacements often imply a lasting change in position rather than just filling in for absentees.
The word replacement is formed by adding the suffix -ment to the verb replace. It entered English as a noun describing the act or result of putting something back into its original position.