prototype

American  

[proh-tuh-tahyp] / ˈproʊ təˌtaɪp /

noun

prototypes plural

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

Derived Forms

• prototypal
  adjective
• prototypic
  adjective
• prototypical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prototypes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prototype

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

Explanation

A prototype is the original model, a sample on which to base future designs. A company designing a new toaster will first design and build a prototype and then test it out and see if it's any good. A prototype is your test case and becomes the model on which to base the design of the finished product. Often, however, the prototype can be a phase to work out the bugs. The prototype of our hands-free toothbrush was too dangerous; it needed to return to the lab for serious improvements. Like the word archetype, the word prototype can also mean the standard on which to base a definition of something. "A prototypical cheerleader is the girl to which all other cheerleaders might aspire."

Example Sentences

Their startup, Nova Cottage Co., co-founded by the Pasadena-based technology incubator Idealab, has built a prototype studio cottage that has the interior amenities of a traditional home without the structural demands.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

The products are for now in the prototype stage, Hilldson said.

From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026

In 2007, Princeton released a “Wedges” game online, which Pacala built a prototype for from planks of wood in his garage.

From Salon • Jun. 26, 2026

The firm claims in tests, its prototype performed 50% better than its own 2nm chip and was 70% more energy efficient.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

A chain-reacting pile would be more efficient but still existed only in theory, for Fermi’s most recent prototype had produced less than one neutron per fission—a definite fizzle.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• mock-up
• model
• precursor