a first or preliminary model of something,especially a machine,from which other forms are developed or copied (尤指机器的)原型;样机,样本 the firm is testing a prototype of the weapon. 该公司正在测试这种武器的一种原型。 ■a typical example of something 模范,典型 these objects are the prototypes of a category of rapidly spinning neutron stars. 他娶了个理想的典型堂区牧师妻子。 ■the archetypal example of a class of living organisms,astronomical objects,or other items (生物、天体等的)原始型 these objects are the prototypes of a category of rapidly spinning neutron stars. 这些天体是一类旋转极快的中子星的原始型。 ■a building,vehicle,or other object which acts as a pattern for a full-scale model (建筑,汽车等的)全真模型 ■(Electronics)a basic filter network with specified cut-off frequencies, from which other networks may be derived to obtain sharper cut-offs, constancy of characteristic impedance with frequency, etc (电子)原型滤波网络
late 16th cent. (denoting the original of which something else is a copy or derivative): via French or late Latin from Greek prōtotupos (see proto-, type)