Saturday 30 April 2016

What is the “vice” in “vice president”?

What is the “vice” in “vice president”?

We often make fun of the second-place office, but the vice presidency is an important one: It’s a heartbeat away from the presidency, as candidates consider when vetting their running mates. The etymology of the title bears out the importance of the vice presidency: in Latin, vice means “in place of” or “in succession to.” The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) first cites vice-president in 1574, when “Sergius the Vice-president of Asia” must have really balanced out the ticket.

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