Main Entry: pro·to·type

Pronunciation: \ˈprō-tə-ˌtīp\

Function: noun

Etymology: French, from Greek prōtotypon, from neuter of prōtotypos archetypal, from prōt- + typos type

Date: 1552

1 : an original model on which something is patterned : archetype
2 : an individual that exhibits the essential features of a later type
3 : a standard or typical example
4 : a first full-scale and usually functional form of a new type or design of a construction (as an airplane)