prototype

[proh-tuh-tahyp] /ˈproʊ təˌtaɪp/
noun
1.
the original or model on which something is based or formed.
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.
5.
to create the prototype or an experimental model of:
to prototype a solar-power car.
Origin
1595-1605; < Neo-Latin prōtotypon < Greek prōtótypon, noun use of neuter of prōtótypos original. See proto-, type
Related forms
prototypal, prototypical
[proh-tuh-tip-i-kuh l] /ˌproʊ təˈtɪp ɪ kəl/ (Show IPA), prototypic, adjective
prototypically, adverb
Can be confused
archetype, prototype.
Synonyms
1. pattern.
Examples from the web for prototypes
  • But in a fast moving field, the museum has chosen to collect experimental prototypes that hold great promise for the future.
  • We endeavour to learn from examples such as these to base our metapsychological conjectures on such prototypes.
  • Generally speaking object selection unquestionably takes place by following more freely these prototypes.
  • Those who thrust temporal sovereignty upon her treat her as their prototypes treated her author.
  • Programming tools provide a way to move beyond detailed specs and build prototypes.
  • Those include developing prototypes for educational products that others could use and market.
  • Robots take the first turn, with a look at how they might develop from early prototypes.
  • prototypes of bicycle washing machines and electricity generators are currently in the works.
  • They can view early prototypes, examine what is inside, and learn how it works.
  • Many firms around the world are starting to build prototypes.
British Dictionary definitions for prototypes

prototype

/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
Derived Forms
prototypal, prototypic (ˌprəʊtəˈtɪpɪk), prototypical, adjective
Word Origin and History for prototypes

prototype

n.

c.1600, from French prototype (16c.) and directly from Medieval Latin prototypus "original, primitive," from Greek prototypon "a first or primitive form," noun use of neuter singular of prototypos "original, primitive," from protos "first" (see proto-) + typos "impression, mold, pattern" (see type (n.)). In English from 1590s as prototypon.

prototypes in Medicine

prototype pro·to·type (prō'tə-tīp')
n.
A primitive or ancestral form or species.