0

Assume Joe is sent to represent Sarah in a meeting. What would Sarah be to him? I'm looking for a more informal context, so it wouldn't be a client.

Decapitated Soul
  • 16,598
Friedrick
  • 111
  • 5
  • 2
    Joe is Sarah's proxy, which is the antonym of what you're looking for. I don;t think there's a word for this. Just use 'Sarah', or if the person isn't known it would be 'The person who John is representing'. – Mitch May 12 '20 at 12:24
  • I just deleted the answer I posted, because I realized afterwards that the question is about the person being represented and not the representative. Sorry -- my mistake. – Isabel Archer May 12 '20 at 13:01
  • If Joe and Sarah have a professional relationship, Sarah might be Joe's client – Jim Mack May 12 '20 at 13:27
  • Sarah is the principal, but how informal can the setting be with Joe representing? If too formal, let her represent herself. – Yosef Baskin May 12 '20 at 13:28
  • @IsabelArcher that's exactly what I'm looking for. I want the person being represented – Friedrick May 12 '20 at 13:34

2 Answers2

1

It's considered archaic, but there's always representee.

From Collins:

representee
(ˌrɛprɪzɛnˈtiː)
NOUN
1. (in contract law) a person to whom a legal representation ( statement of fact concerning a contract) is made
2. archaic: a representative, esp in a parliament
3. archaic: a person who is represented

Davo
  • 7,204
  • 5
  • 29
  • 50
0

There are a lot more terms for Joe -- representative, stand-in, agent, deputy, etc. -- than for Sarah.

The terms for Sarah are less common and less informal. For instance, the term "principal" is used for her when discussing the "principal-agent problem" but that's rather technical.

Most references to the person being represented, in my experience, would describe it as something like "Joe is speaking for/representing/standing in for Sarah" rather than saying "Joe is Sarah's [term]"

Mary
  • 4,004
  • 1
  • 12
  • 29