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.
British Dictionary definitions for prototyping

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 prototyping

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.

prototyping in Medicine

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

prototyping in Technology


The creation of a model and the simulation of all aspects of a product. CASE tools support different degrees of prototyping. Some offer the end-user the ability to review all aspects of the user interface and the structure of documentation and reports before code is generated.