prototypal
|pro-to-typ-al|
🇺🇸
/ˌproʊtəˈtɪpəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌprəʊtəˈtɪpəl/
(prototype)
original model
Etymology
'prototypal' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'prototypos' (from 'protos' meaning 'first' + 'typos' meaning 'impression' or 'type'), with the English adjectival suffix '-al' added to the noun 'prototype'.
'prototypos' passed into Latin and later into French/modern scientific and technical vocabulary as 'prototype' and finally formed the English adjective 'prototypal' by adding the suffix '-al' to 'prototype'.
Initially it referred to the 'first type' or original model; over time it evolved to mean 'relating to or characteristic of a prototype' and, in computing, 'based on prototype objects'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or serving as a prototype; exemplifying the original model or typical form from which others are derived.
The museum displayed a prototypal design that influenced later models.
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Adjective 2
(Computing) Based on or using prototypes, especially describing an inheritance model in which objects inherit directly from other objects rather than from classes.
JavaScript uses a prototypal inheritance system rather than classical class-based inheritance.
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Last updated: 2026/01/09 16:58