Etymology
From French prototype or Late Latin prototypon, from Ancient Greek πρωτότυπος or prōtótupos (original; prototype), from πρωτο- or prōto- (prefix meaning "first") (from πρῶτος or prôtos (first; earliest)) + τῠ́πος or túpos (blow, pressing; sort, type) (from τύπτω or túptō (to beat, strike)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (to push; to stick)). The word is analyzable as proto- + -type.
Noun
prototype (plural prototypes)
- An original form or object which is a basis for other forms or objects (particularly manufactured items), or for its generalizations and models.
- An early sample or model built to test a concept or process.
- The prototype had loose wires and rough edges, but it worked.
- (computing) A declaration of a function that specifies the name, return type, and parameters, but none of the body or actual code.
- (semantics) An instance of a category or a concept that combines its most representative attributes.
- A robin is a prototype of a bird; a penguin is not.
- (motor racing) A type of race car, a racing sports car not based on a production car. A 4-wheeled cockpit-seating car built especially for racing on sports car circuits, that does not use the silhouette related to a consumer road car.
Derived terms
- prototypal
- prototype pattern
- prototype racing
- prototype theory
- prototypic
- prototypical
- prototyping
Verb
prototype (third-person singular simple present prototypes, present participle prototyping, simple past and past participle prototyped)
- To create a prototype of.
- We decided to prototype the video game for testers before the graphics were completed.
Credits
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