Date: Tue Mar 21 00:52:28 EST 2000
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ersatz
ersatz (ER-zahts, er-ZATS) adjective

Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one; artificial.

[German, replacement, from ersetzen, to replace, from Old High German
irsezzan : ir-, out + sezzan, to set.]

A word seen often during and shortly after WWII, but not since.