A German substitute (6)
I believe the answer is:
ersatz
'substitute' is the definition.
('ersatz' can be a synonym of 'substitute')
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ersatz that I've seen before include "'Artificial, not genuine (6)'" , "Imitation or substitute, from German" , "Artificial, imitation - from German" , "Cheap substitute or imitation" , "Mock" .)