prototype

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prototype

/ˈpɹəʊtətaɪp/ UK
/ˈpɹoʊtəˌtaɪp/ Canada, US
[ˈpɹoʊɾəˌtaɪp] Canada, US
[ˈpɹoʊɾəˌtʌɪp] Canada, US
/ˈpɹoʊtoʊ-/ Canada, US
/ˈpɹəʉtətɑep/ Australia
[ˈpɹəʉɾətɑep] Australia
[ˈpɹɐʉɾətɑep] Australia
/ˈpɹɐʉtətaɪp/ New Zealand
[ˈpɹɐʉɾətaɪp] New Zealand

Where it comes from

From French prototype or Late Latin prototypon, from Ancient Greek πρωτότυπος (prōtótupos, “original; prototype”), from πρωτο- (prōto-, “first”) (from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first; earliest”)) + τῠ́πος (tŭ́pos, “blow, pressing; sort, type”) (from τύπτω (túptō, “to beat, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“to push; to stick”)). The word is analysable as proto- + -type.

noun prototypes

An original form or object which is a basis for other forms or objects (particularly manufactured items), or for its generalizations and models. Near-synonym: archetype (sometimes synonymous)
Similar: archetype, exemplar
An early sample or model built to test a concept or process. The prototype had loose wires and rough edges, but it worked.
A declaration of a function that specifies the name, return type, and parameters, but none of the body or actual code. Like any variable in a C program it is necessary to prototype or declare a function before its use, if it returns a value other than an int. It informs the compiler that the function would be referenced at a later stage in the program. / For example, / In program 1, the statement / void display_mess
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.
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.
Similar: racing prototype, sports prototype, prototype racecar

verb prototypes · prototyping · prototyped

transitive To create a prototype of. In short, he has purposely perverted the whole case from beginning to end, and distorted it in such a manner, as not to be prototyped except by his own mind; […]
rare, transitive To imitate or emulate.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: epitome, paradigm, image, prototyping, sample, experimental, original, lot, blueprint, specimen, model, mock, flagship, pilot, exemplar, template

Translations

Every language

noun original form or object which is a basis for other forms or objects

Español	prototipo
日本語	プロトタイプ purototaipu, 原型
中文	原型 yuánxíng, 雏形 chúxíng, 樣機 /样机 yàngjī
Português	protótipo
Français	prototype
Deutsch	Prototyp
Italiano	prototipo
Ελληνικά	πρωτότυπο protótypo
Română	prototip, prim-model
Русский	прототи́п prototíp, моде́ль modélʹ, проо́браз proóbraz
Tiếng Việt	nguyên mẫu
العربية	نموذج namūḏaj
עברית	אב טיפוס

noun early sample or model built to test a concept or process

Español	prototipo, prototipado

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MLA

"prototype." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prototype. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

prototype. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prototype

Chicago

"prototype." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prototype.

BibTeX

@misc{prototype_2026,
  title = {prototype},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prototype},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}