Revised 2007
prototypicaladjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective prototypical mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the adjective prototypical. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the adjective prototypical?
About 0.8occurrences per million words in modern written English
1790 | 0.0006 |
1800 | 0.0006 |
1810 | 0.0006 |
1820 | 0.0004 |
1830 | 0.0015 |
1840 | 0.0032 |
1850 | 0.0039 |
1860 | 0.0052 |
1870 | 0.0064 |
1880 | 0.0061 |
1890 | 0.0053 |
1900 | 0.0057 |
1910 | 0.0077 |
1920 | 0.0086 |
1930 | 0.013 |
1940 | 0.03 |
1950 | 0.087 |
1960 | 0.24 |
1970 | 0.47 |
1980 | 0.69 |
1990 | 0.89 |
2000 | 1.0 |
2010 | 1.1 |
How is the adjective prototypical pronounced?
British English
/ˌprəʊtə(ʊ)ˈtɪpᵻkl/
proh-toh-TIP-uh-kuhl
U.S. English
/ˌproʊdəˈtɪpək(ə)l/
proh-duh-TIP-uh-kuhl
Where does the adjective prototypical come from?
Earliest known use
mid 1600s
The earliest known use of the adjective prototypical is in the mid 1600s.
OED's earliest evidence for prototypical is from 1650, in the writing of Thomas Vaughan, hermetic philosopher and alchemist.
prototypical is formed within English, by derivation.
Etymons: prototype n., ‑ical suffix.
Nearby entries
- prototrophically, adv.1957–
- prototrophy, n.1949–
- prototropic, adj.1925–
- prototropy, n.1923–
- prototypal, adj.1649–
- prototype, n. & adj.1552–
- prototype, v.1837–
- prototypembryo, n.1890
- prototypembryonic, adj.1890
- prototypic, adj.1855–
- prototypical, adj.1650–
- prototypicality, n.1976–
- prototypically, adv.1642–
- prototyping, n.1951–
- prototypographer, n.1656–
- prototypon, n.1586–1715
- protovermiculite, n.1877–
- protovertebra, n.1861–
- protovertebral, adj.1870–90
- protovertebrate, n. & adj.1872–
- protovestiary, n.1706–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for prototypical, adj.
prototypical, adj. was revised in September 2007.
prototypical, adj. was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into prototypical, adj. in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1909)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Factsheet for prototypical, adj.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- prototrophically, adv.1957–
- prototrophy, n.1949–
- prototropic, adj.1925–
- prototropy, n.1923–
- prototypal, adj.1649–
- prototype, n. & adj.1552–
- prototype, v.1837–
- prototypembryo, n.1890
- prototypembryonic, adj.1890
- prototypic, adj.1855–
- prototypical, adj.1650–
- prototypicality, n.1976–
- prototypically, adv.1642–
- prototyping, n.1951–
- prototypographer, n.1656–
- prototypon, n.1586–1715
- protovermiculite, n.1877–
- protovertebra, n.1861–
- protovertebral, adj.1870–90
- protovertebrate, n. & adj.1872–
- protovestiary, n.1706–