Vicarius

For the twelfth-century juris, see Vacarius.

Vicarius is a Latin word, meaning substitute or deputy. It is the root and origin of the English word "vicar".

Originally, in ancient Rome, this was an equivalent to the English "vice-" (as in "deputy"), used as part of the title of various officials. Each vicarius was assigned to a specific superior official, after whom his full title was generally completed by a genitive (e.g. vicarius praetoris). At a low level of society, the slave of a slave, possibly hired out to raise money to buy manumission, was a servus vicarius.