template

noun

tem·​plate ˈtem-plət 

1

a(1)

: a gauge, pattern, or mold (such as a thin plate or board) used as a guide to the form of a piece being made

(2)

: a molecule (as of DNA) that serves as a pattern for the generation of another macromolecule (such as messenger RNA)

b

: overlay sense c

2

: something that establishes or serves as a pattern

3

: a short piece or block placed horizontally in a wall under a beam to distribute its weight or pressure (as over a door)

Examples of template in a Sentence

The software includes templates for common marketing documents like pamphlets and flyers.

Recent Examples on the Web

This article was generated by the Kansas City Star Bot, artificial intelligence software that analyzes structured information from TomTom and applies it to templates created by journalists in the newsroom. —Kansas City Star Bot, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2024

Also worth mentioning are a number of Note templates available to help keep your jottings tidy, including a blank black page, a calendar grid, to-do list and plain lines with a margin. —New Atlas, 12 July 2024

That leeway allows Perkins to stray from the true-crime-with-benefits template that often characterizes post-Silence of the Lambs works like David Fincher’s Mindhunter series and shuffle into slightly more supernatural territory. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2024

Fulfilling these requirements may seem like a formidable challenge, but there is already a template for how it can be done: the long-standing Arab Peace Initiative, which has been repeatedly endorsed by governments across the Middle East, as well as by leading world powers. —Mohammad Shtayyeh, Foreign Affairs, 4 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier templet in same senses (by assimilation to plate entry 1), of uncertain origin

Note: The form templet has been compared with French templet "implement on a loom for stretching cloth during weaving," a diminutive of temple in the same sense, though there is no apparent explanation for the very dissimilar senses. The relation of sense 3 (attested earlier) to sense 1 is unclear.

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Kids Definition

template

noun

tem·​plate ˈtem-plət 

1

: a gauge, pattern, or mold (as a thin plate or board) used as a guide to the form of a piece being made

2

: something that establishes or serves as a pattern

Medical Definition

template

noun

tem·​plate ˈtem-plət 

1

also templet : a gauge, pattern, or mold used as a guide to the form of a piece being made

2

: a molecule (as of DNA) that serves as a pattern for the synthesis of another macromolecule (as messenger RNA)