prototype

prototype (prototyp): a typical example of something. We often talk about the prototypical meaning of a word, i.e. the central meaning of the word, or the most common type of referent that is associated with that word. E.g. the prototypical referent of the word 'bird' is a small creature that has wings and feathers and a beak, and that can fly and sing. A sparrow would then be well within the prototype, while penguin or an ostrich would not be prototypical, although they are classified biologically as birds. In grammar we can speak of prototypical nouns (words which refer to people and things), and prototypical verbs (verbs which refer to actions), while a noun referring to an action (e.g. invention, discovery, discussion, clarification) may be considered less prototypical.