model

¹mod·el

noun \ˈmä-d^əl\

Definition of MODEL

1

obsolete : a set of plans for a building

2

dialect British : copy, image

3

: structural design <a home on the model of an old farmhouse>

4

: a usually miniature representation of something; also : a pattern of something to be made

5

: an example for imitation or emulation

6

: a person or thing that serves as a pattern for an artist; especially : one who poses for an artist

7

: archetype

8

: an organism whose appearance a mimic imitates

9

: one who is employed to display clothes or other merchandise

10

a : a type or design of clothing b : a type or design of product (as a car)

11

: a description or analogy used to help visualize something (as an atom) that cannot be directly observed

12

: a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs; also : a computer simulation based on such a system <climate models>

13

: version 3

14

: animal model

Examples of MODEL

1. She's building a model of the Earth for science class.
2. a plastic model of the human heart
3. We've improved on last year's model, making the car safer and easier to control.
4. He bought one of the old 1965 models.
5. We couldn't afford one of the fancy TVs and had to buy the standard model.
6. We've developed a computer model of the economy to predict what will happen in the future.
7. Companies are developing new business models.

Origin of MODEL

Middle French modelle, from Old Italian modello, from Vulgar Latin *modellus, from Latin modulus small measure, from modus

First Known Use: 1575

Related to MODEL

Synonyms: miniature

Related Words: carbon, carbon copy, clone, copy, dummy, dupe, duplicate, duplication, facsimile, imitation, mock, reduplication, replica, replication, reproduction; dwarf, midget, mini, pocket edition, pygmy (also pigmy)

Near Antonyms: archetype, original, prototype; blowup, enlargement

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of MODEL

model, example, pattern, exemplar, ideal mean someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation. model applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation <a decor that is a model of good taste>. example applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning <children tend to follow the example of their parents>. pattern suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype <American industry set a pattern for others to follow>. exemplar suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification <cited Joan of Arc as the exemplar of courage>. ideal implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception <never found a job that matched his ideal>.

Rhymes with MODEL

coddle, noddle, swaddle, toddle, twaddle, waddle