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

I get a quick look inside at the prototype of Turing’s codebreaking machine.

From Literature

While some advanced prototypes can already operate as full systems and are accessible through public cloud platforms, their overall performance remains limited.

From Science Daily

Fraudulent procurement practices could also have been a factor in the dockside-sinking of a prototype of a new Chinese submarine, the Pentagon said last year.

From The Wall Street Journal

CEO Julie Willoughby said she would be game to try it again once the company, which is still in the fundraising stage, is better positioned to turn digital ideas into physical prototypes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ukrainian firms are already partnering with U.S. companies to develop prototypes of one-way, long-range unmanned aerial systems.

From Barron's

Related Words

• mock-up
• model
• precursor