proxy

[ prok-see ]

noun

, plural prox·ies.

1. the agency, function, or power of a person authorized to act as the deputy or substitute for another.
2. a person authorized to act as a deputy or substitute for another; agent.
3. a written authorization empowering another person to vote or act for the signer, such as at a meeting of stockholders.
4. an ally or confederate who can be relied upon to speak or act in one's behalf.
5. Computer.
   1. a server or program that receives requests, filters them, and forwards them to a network on behalf of another computer or network which it represents under a surrogate IP address: used to provide anonymity or increased security or to carry out intermediate processing.
   2. a placeholder programming object whose function is to delegate the execution of an action to one or more other objects it controls access to, allowing the placeholder to carry out other processing before and after that action.

adjective

1. relating to or having the agency, function, or power of a person authorized to act as the deputy or substitute for another:

   If you are unable to reach the polls, you can choose a proxy voter to cast your ballot for you.

   Because of the distance to be traveled, a proxy groom stood in for the queen's future husband.

2. (especially of a conflict) occurring between states, people, etc., who are directed, influenced, or funded by other states, people, etc.:

   Proxy wars were a major feature of the Cold War.

   The new CEO won control of the company after a proxy battle.

proxy

/ ˈprɒksɪ /

noun

1. a person authorized to act on behalf of someone else; agent

   to vote by proxy

2. the authority, esp in the form of a document, given to a person to act on behalf of someone else
3. computing short for proxy server

proxy

1. A person authorized to act for another, or the written authorization to act for another.

Notes

Shareholders in corporations may designate proxies to represent them at stockholders ' meetings and vote their shares .

Word History and Origins

Origin of proxy¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English prokesye, procusie, contraction of procuracy “procuration”; procure, -acy

Word History and Origins

Origin of proxy¹

C15: prokesye, contraction of procuracy, from Latin prōcūrātiō procuration; see procure

Example Sentences

The duo used a custommade respirometer to measure how much oxygen the pulsating cells used in the process, a proxy for how much energy it takes an octopus to trigger color changes.

From Science Magazine

Muhammad Ali would turn the use of race to promote his fights on its head, using many of his Black opponents for white proxies.

From Salon

Because these proteins were gathered from CSF, they are a good proxy for activity in the brain, and several of them may be potential targets for therapies.

From Science Daily

Old guard members of the board began to campaign against Tanton’s proxies.

From Salon

You can name your health care proxy who can do this through a durable power of attorney.

From Salon

Related Words

• intermediary
• stand-in
• surrogate