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)

prototyped, prototyping 

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

Other Word Forms

• prototypical adjective
• prototypic adjective
• prototypal 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

The trio once had big plans centered on the prototype of an artificial heart they designed, THUMPR7, which they were convinced would change the world by extending the lives of millions, rich, poor or otherwise.

From Los Angeles Times

Not your average ergonomics paper - and just the kind of delightfully oddball idea: a prototype for a UVC light-equipped shoe rack that doesn't just store shoes but sterilises them.

From BBC

But the company only rolled out 20 or 30 prototype taxis this year, in Austin, Texas, with human drivers behind the wheel.

From Los Angeles Times

At an unveiling event for a prototype of the self-driving Tesla Cybercab last year, Musk expressed lofty ambitions for the future.

From Los Angeles Times

I didn’t really seem like the prototype for it, but then, lo and behold, the tape made it up there.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• mock-up 
• model 
• precursor