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prototype

n. · v.
US //ˈpɹoʊtəˌtaɪp// UK //pɹˈəʊtəʊtˌaɪp// pro·to·type
  1. 1 early model (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the first version of a product or machine that is built to see if an idea works.

    an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process.

    Example

    The engineers built a wooden prototype of the new car to test the seating.

    Example

    The design team presented a functional prototype to the investors, demonstrating that the battery technology was viable for mass production.
    • final product
    • production model
  2. 2 original pattern (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic

    the original form of something that later versions are based on.

    an original type, form, or instance that serves as a basis or standard for later stages.

    Example

    This 19th-century machine was the prototype for all modern printing presses.

    Example

    Scholars argue that this early manuscript served as the prototype for the various regional versions of the myth found across the continent.
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  1. 3 function declaration (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a line of code that tells a computer the name and basic details of a function.

    a declaration of a function that specifies the name, return type, and parameters, but omits the implementation body.

    Example

    You need to define the function prototype at the top of your code.

    Example

    The compiler threw an error because the function call did not match the arguments specified in the prototype.
  2. 4 to build a model (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make a first version of something to test it.

    to create a preliminary version or model of a product or system.

    Example

    We need to prototype the app's interface before we start the actual coding.

    Example

    The startup spent six months prototyping different wing shapes to maximise the drone's flight time.
Origin

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.

Word family

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