ADJECTIVE (3)

1. experienced at secondhand;
- Example: "read about mountain climbing and felt vicarious excitement"

2. occurring in an abnormal part of the body instead of the usual site involved in that function;
- Example: "vicarious menstruation"

3. suffered or done by one person as a substitute for another;
- Example: "vicarious atonement"

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Vicarious \Vi*ca"ri*ous\ (v[-i]*k[=a]"[i^]*[u^]s), a. [L.
   vicarius, from vicis change, alternation, turn, the position,
   place, or office of one person as assumed by another; akin to
   Gr. e'i`kein to yield, give way, G. wechsel a change, and
   probably also to E. weak. See Weak, and cf. Vice, prep.]
   1. Of or pertaining to a vicar, substitute, or deputy;
      deputed; delegated; as, vicarious power or authority.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Acting or suffering for another; as, a vicarious agent or
      officer.
      [1913 Webster]

            The soul in the body is but a subordinate efficient,
            and vicarious . . . in the hands of the Almighty.
                                                  --Sir M. Hale.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Performed,experienced, or suffered in the place of
      another; substituted; as, a vicarious sacrifice; vicarious
      punishment; vicarious pleasure.
      [1913 Webster + PJC]

            The vicarious work of the Great Deliverer. --I.
                                                  Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Med.) Acting as a substitute; -- said of abnormal action
      which replaces a suppressed normal function; as, vicarious
      hemorrhage replacing menstruation.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

vicarious
    adj 1: experienced at secondhand; "read about mountain climbing
           and felt vicarious excitement"
    2: occurring in an abnormal part of the body instead of the
       usual site involved in that function; "vicarious
       menstruation"
    3: suffered or done by one person as a substitute for another;
       "vicarious atonement"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

30 Moby Thesaurus words for "vicarious":
   alternate, alternative, assigned, backup, commissioned,
   counterfeit, delegated, dummy, equivalent, ersatz, fake, imitation,
   indirect, makeshift, mock, phony, pinch, provisional, proxy,
   reserve, secondary, spare, stopgap, substitute, substituted,
   surrogate, temporary, tentative, token, utility