What term is used to describe a word that takes the place of a noun?

The term that describes a word that takes the place of a noun is "pronoun." Pronouns serve as substitutes for nouns in order to avoid repetition and to streamline communication. For instance, instead of saying "Maria went to the store, and Maria bought apples," one might use a pronoun to simplify the sentence: "Maria went to the store, and she bought apples." In this example, "she" is a pronoun that replaces the noun "Maria."

Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas, while verbs express actions or states of being, and adjectives describe or modify nouns. These other parts of speech do not fulfill the function of substituting for nouns, which is the specific role that pronouns play in sentences.