Added 8 October 2026
prototype
/ˈpɹəʊtətaɪp/ noun
Latin root: prototypon Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about prototype at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An original form or object which is a basis for other forms or objects (particularly manufactured items), or for its generalizations and models. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
-
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.
verb
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)