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typify

[tip-uh-fahy]
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verb (used with object), typ·i·fied, typ·i·fy·ing.
  1. to serve as a typical example of; exemplify.
  2. to serve as a symbol or emblem of; symbolize; prefigure.
  3. to represent by a type or symbol.
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Origin of typify

1625–35; < Latin typ(us) type + -ify
Related formstyp·i·fi·ca·tion, nountyp·i·fi·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for typification

case, fragment, pattern, specimen, piece, sampling, exemplar, essence, embodiment, personification, apotheosis, individual, bite, morsel, illustration, sign, instance, portion, part, indication

Examples from the Web for typification

Historical Examples of typification

  • The tutelary divinity was generally a typification of the national character.

    The Moral and Intellectual Diversity of Races

    Arthur, comte de Gobineau

British Dictionary definitions for typification

typify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)
  1. to be typical of; characterize
  2. to symbolize or represent completely, by or as if by a type
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Derived Formstypification, nountypifier, noun

Word Origin for typify

C17: from Latin typus type + -ify
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for typification

typify

v.

1630s, "to represent by a symbol," from Latin typus (see type (n.)) + -fy. Meaning "to serve as a typical specimen of some class, etc." is attested from 1854.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper