type class

noun

A type system construct that supports ad hoc polymorphism (independent of the type hierarchy), first pioneered in Haskell.

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Meanings

nountype class (plural type classes)

plural type classes · alternative typeclass

  1. computingA type system construct that supports ad hoc polymorphism (independent of the type hierarchy), first pioneered in Haskell.

    A type class is defined with a trait that defines the abstraction. It can have any extension (instance) methods, as well as type-level members, meaning across instances.

    2021, Dean Wampler, chapter 5, in Programming Scala, 3rd edition, O'Reilly, →ISBN
Cite this entry
APA

type class. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/type%20class

MLA

“type class.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/type%20class. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “type class,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/type%20class.

Source: type class on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.