prototype
Americannoun
-
the original or model on which something is based or formed.
- Synonyms:
- pattern
-
someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class; model; exemplar.
She is the prototype of a student activist.
-
something analogous to another thing of a later period.
a Renaissance prototype of our modern public housing.
-
Biology. an archetype; a primitive form regarded as the basis of a group.
verb (used with object)
noun
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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
-
a person or thing that serves as an example of a type
-
biology the ancestral or primitive form of a species or other group; an archetype
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Anthropic announced a two-year agreement with the Department of Defense in July to “prototype frontier AI capabilities that advance U.S. national security.”
From Los Angeles Times
Several research teams are already working with Yang's group to pattern these films and build prototype quantum devices.
From Science Daily
Now he uses Claude to build working prototypes to demonstrate viability.
While the tool is currently a research prototype, it signals where game development is trending.
From Barron's
While the tool is currently a research prototype, it signals where game development is trending.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
