/ ˈproʊ təˌtaɪp /
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to evaluate a new design to enhance precision by system analysts and users. Define prototype. Prototype synonyms, prototype pronunciation, prototype translation, English dictionary definition of prototype. An original type, form, or instance serving as a basis or standard: 'The abolitionists were the prototype of modern citizen activism'.
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noun
the original or model on which something is based or formed.
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),pro·to·typed,pro·to·typ·ing.
to create the prototype or an experimental model of: to prototype a solar-power car.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
precursor, model, mock-up, predecessor, antecedent, ancestor, archetype, forerunner, standard, ideal, criterion, pattern, paradigm, type, precedent, norm, first, antecessor
Nearby words
protostele, protostome, prototherian, prototroph, prototrophic, prototype, protovertebra, protoxide, protoxylem, protozoa, protozoan
Origin of prototype
1595–1605;< New Latinprōtotypon< Greekprōtótypon, noun use of neuter of prōtótypos original. See proto-, type
SYNONYMS FOR prototype
Related forms
pro·to·typ·al, pro·to·typ·i·cal[proh-tuh-tip-i-kuhl]/ˌproʊ təˈtɪp ɪ kəl/, pro·to·typ·ic, adjectivepro·to·typ·i·cal·ly, adverbDictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for prototype
- The FC-31 prototype was hidden except when it was flying, and not much detail was available.How China Will Track—and Kill—America’s Newest Stealth Jets|Bill Sweetman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
- The prototype Land Rover was designed by a Jeep owner and built on a Jeep chassis.Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
- Was I looking at the real me or just a reflection in the funhouse mirror of my prototype iPhone 6?Aubrey Plaza’s Great Disconnect|Aubrey Plaza|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
- The 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt was produced in five different colors during its prototype tour, and the cars were later sold.Dreaming Up the Cars of the Future|Justin Jones|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
- In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) awarded Solar Roadways a contract to construct a prototype.Pave the Roads With Solar Panels?|The Daily Beast|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
- The words and sentences which are supplied are very carefully chosen, and most of them have a prototype somewhere in the poem.The Translations of Beowulf|Chauncey Brewster Tinker
- Colonel Yule suspects that its prototype may have been the semi-Christian kingdom of Abyssinia.The Discovery of America Vol. 1 (of 2)|John Fiske.
- The frogs in this phyletic line retained the moderate size of the prototype and did not develop additional dermal bone.Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Smilisca|William E. Duellman
- She was deified and took the place of a goddess, apparently Nina, the prototype of Derceto.Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie
- The clavichord retained the box shape of its prototype, the monochord.
British Dictionary definitions forprototype
noun
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
biologythe ancestral or primitive form of a species or other group; an archetype
Derived Forms
Prototype Definition For Kids
prototypal, prototypic (ˌprəʊtəˈtɪpɪk) orprototypical, adjectivePrototype Game Meaning
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
Medicine definitions forprototype
n.
Game Prototype Definition Dictionary
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.