prototype

American  

[proh-tuh-tahyp] / ˈproʊ təˌtaɪp /

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.

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verb (used with object)

prototyped, prototyping

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

   to prototype a solar-power car.

prototype British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• prototypal adjective
• prototypic adjective
• prototypical adjective

Etymology

Origin of prototype

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

Example Sentences

Google liked what they saw in that early prototype, and bought Boston Dynamics in 2013 for an undisclosed amount.

From Barron's

When Musk returned to the stage a year later, he demoed a prototype called Bumblebee, with visible wires and actuators.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the warehouse space near construction supply shops and a Western-themed bar, designers have built clay models and prototypes of a customizable EV truck that could cost half as much as the competition.

From Los Angeles Times

A prototype of the third version of Optimus intended for volume production should be ready for a demonstration by March, according to Musk.

From MarketWatch

Unlike most of today's chips, which are mostly flat and 2D, this prototype is built to rise upward.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• mock-up
• model
• precursor