proto-form

[ proh-toh-fawrm ]

noun

, Linguistics.

1. a hypothetical linguistic form reconstructed as an element of a protolanguage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of proto-form¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Rather, the infectious yawn, the one that comes in response to someone else’s, seemed to be a special, social adaptation—a proto-form of empathy, perhaps—if not the index of a higher consciousness.

From Slate

The proto-form of the motorcycle was simply a velocipede with a steam-engine jammed in it, made in France in 1868.

From Time Magazine Archive