prototype

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
4. Ancient Greekπρό (pró)
5. Ancient Greekπρῶτος (prôtos)
6. Ancient Greekπρωτο- (prōto-)
7. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tew-
8. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tewp-
9. Proto-Hellenic*túpt͏̌ō
10. Ancient Greekτῠ́πτω (tŭ́ptō)
11. Ancient Greekπρωτότυπος (prōtótupos)
12. Latinprōtotypu
13. Frenchprototype
14. Ancient Greekπρωτότυπος (prōtótupos)
15. Late Latinprototypon
16. English todayprototype

From French prototype or Late Latin prototypon, from Ancient Greek πρωτότυπος (prōtótupos, “original; prototype”), from πρωτο- (prōto-, “first”) (from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first; earliest”)) + τῠ́πος (tŭ́pos, “blow, pressing; sort, type”) (from τύπτω (túptō, “to beat, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“to push; to stick”)). The word is analysable as proto- + -type.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from late 16th c. An original form or object which is a basis for other forms or objects (particularly manufactured items), or for its generalizations and models.