blueprint

[bloo-print]

noun

1. a process of photographic printing, printing, used chiefly in copying architectural and mechanical drawings, which produces a white line on a blue background.

2. a print made by this process.

3. a detailed outline or plan of action.

   a blueprint for success.

verb (used with object)

1. to make a blueprint of or for.

blueprint

/ ˈbluːˌprɪnt /

noun

1. Also called: cyanotype. a photographic print of plans, technical drawings, etc, consisting of white lines on a blue background

2. an original plan or prototype that influences subsequent design or practice

   the Montessori method was the blueprint for education in the 1940s

verb

1. (tr) to make a blueprint of (a plan)

Other Word Forms

• blueprinter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of blueprint¹

First recorded in 1885–90; blue + print

Example Sentences

The miniature Erewhon will be tucked away near cold plunge pools and a sauna at 120 Leroy Street in New York City, according to blueprints Fieg posted on Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times

"Intergenerational housing is a new idea but it's really important in breaking down social isolation and building community, and we hope it will be a blueprint for other housing associations across the country," she says.

From BBC

It became a blueprint for success - including her younger sister Serena, who went on to win 23 major titles.

From BBC

Prosecutors said Zhao transmitted "plans for a large-scale maritime training exercise in the Pacific theatre, operational orders and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system located in Okinawa, Japan".

From BBC

A new conservation plan prepared by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is a landscape-level blueprint of what’s needed to ensure the Joshua tree’s survival.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• draft 
• game plan 
• master plan 
• model 
• prototype 
• scheme 
• sketch