prototype

[ proh-tuh-tahyp ]

noun

1. the original or model on which something is based or formed.

   Synonyms: pattern

2. someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class; model; exemplar:

   She is the prototype of a student activist.

3. something analogous to another thing of a later period:

   a Renaissance prototype of our modern public housing.

4. Biology. an archetype; a primitive form regarded as the basis of a group.

verb (used with object)

, pro·to·typed, pro·to·typ·ing.

1. to create the prototype or an experimental model of:

   to prototype a solar-power car.

prototype

/ ˌprəʊtəˈtɪpɪk; ˈprəʊtəˌtaɪp /

noun

1. one of the first units manufactured of a product, which is tested so that the design can be changed if necessary before the product is manufactured commercially
2. a person or thing that serves as an example of a type
3. biology the ancestral or primitive form of a species or other group; an archetype

Derived Forms

• ˌprotoˈtypal, adjective

Other Words From

• pro·to·typ·i·cal [proh-t, uh, -, tip, -i-k, uh, l]; pro·to·typ·ic pro·to·typ·al [proh-t, uh, -, tip, -, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prototype¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from New Latin prōtotypon, from Greek prōtótypon, noun use of neuter of prōtótypos “original”; proto-, type

Example Sentences

A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has created a headphone prototype that allows listeners to create just such a "sound bubble."

From Science Daily

In August last year, a remotely-piloted prototype was badly damaged when it crashed during testing at Cotswold Airport, after a propeller blade fell off.

From BBC

The researchers are now building prototype lighting strips to test on surfboards and kayaks.

From BBC

The team were keen not to rush the development process - the project has been running for about a decade already, and is now at the stage of testing its prototypes.

From BBC

To a casual observer, the quintet might seem like the prototype girl band: Coiffed, choreographed and bristling with confidence.

From BBC

Related Words

• mock-up
• model
• precursor