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Long Definition:

er·satz      /??r z?ts, -s?ts, ?r?z?ts, -?s?ts/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[er-zahts, -sahts, er-zahts, -sahts] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation

–adjective

1.	serving as a substitute; synthetic; artificial: an ersatz coffee made from grain.

–noun

2.	an artificial substance or article used to replace something natural or genuine; a substitute.

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[Origin: 1870–75; < G Ersatz a substitute (deriv. of ersetzen to replace) ]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Short Definition: Substitute

Sentences: 
Did you know you can use plain unsweetened yogurt as an ersatz sour cream?
We gaving the whining puppy an ersatz mother by wrapping a ticking alarm clock in a warm blanket.

Mnemonic (you'll remember it better if you come up with your own):
Ear zits.  Yesterday I woke up and my ears were covered with huge painful zits.  I pulled out my Halloween costume and used the big fake plastic ears from my dwarf costume to cover up my own ears.  I wore those ears as substitutes.