prototype

[proh-tuh-tahyp]

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.

verb (used with object)

prototyped, prototyping 

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

   to prototype a solar-power car.

prototype

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• prototypical adjective
• prototypic adjective
• prototypal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prototype¹

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

Example Sentences

I didn’t really seem like the prototype for it, but then, lo and behold, the tape made it up there.

From Los Angeles Times

Engineering company Thales then turned the idea into a working prototype, with 35 units given to Homeless Project Scotland to use in Glasgow.

From BBC

To prove it, he put together a small prototype in his La Jolla backyard over a weekend in February.

From Los Angeles Times

The MP says the model, developed by a local firm in Drighlington, is a "prototype" and would be adjusted as needed.

From BBC

Anduril, which manufactures autonomous weapons systems, was recently awarded a $99.6-million contract to build a next generation command and control prototype for the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• mock-up 
• model 
• precursor