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prototype

prototype, original model

noun proh-toh-TIP Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Origin: Greek prototypon (first of its kind)

Usage Note

Prototype is used in engineering, design, and everyday speech to mean a first working model before mass production. It also appears figuratively: il est le prototype du bourgeois means 'he is the archetypal bourgeois'. The adjective prototypique means 'prototypical'.

Examples

"L'ingénieur a présenté le prototype du véhicule."

Natural Translation

The engineer presented the vehicle prototype.

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