type

views updated May 21 2018

type / tīp/ • n. 1. a category of people or things having common characteristics: this type of heather grows better in a drier habitat blood types. ∎  a person, thing, or event considered as a representative of such a category: it's not the type of car I'd want my daughter to drive I'm an adventurous type. ∎  inf. a person of a specified character or nature: professor types in tweed. ∎  (one's type) inf. the sort of person one likes or finds attractive: she's not really my type. ∎  Linguistics an abstract category or class of linguistic item or unit, as distinct from actual occurrences in speech or writing. Contrasted with token.2. a person or thing symbolizing or exemplifying the ideal or defining characteristics of something: she characterized his witty sayings as the type of modern wisdom. ∎  an object, conception, or work of art serving as a model for subsequent artists. ∎ Bot. & Zool. an organism or taxon chosen as having the essential characteristics of its group. ∎ short for type specimen.3. printed characters or letters: bold or italic type. ∎  a piece of metal with a raised letter or character on its upper surface, for use in letterpress printing. ∎  such pieces collectively.4. a design on either side of a medal or coin.5. Theol. a foreshadowing in the Old Testament of a person or event of the Christian tradition.• v. [tr.] 1. write (something) on a typewriter or computer by pressing the keys: he typed out the second draft| [intr.] I am learning how to type. 2. Med. determine the type to which (a person or their blood or tissue) belongs: the kidney was typed.3. short for typecast.PHRASES: in type Printing composed and ready for printing.DERIVATIVES: typ·al / -pəl/ adj. ( rare ).

type

views updated Jun 27 2018

type.
1. Exemplar, pattern, prototype, or original work serving as a model after which a building or buildings are copied.

2. Something exemplifying the ideal characteristics of, say, a temple, so some would hold that the Parthenon is the very type of a Greek Doric temple.

3. Tester.

4. Top of a small cupola or turret, e.g. the crowning part of a Tudor turret, such as those of the White Tower, Tower of London (1532).

5. Form or character that distinguishes a class or group of buildings (building-type), e.g. church, mausoleum, town-hall, temple.

type

views updated May 21 2018

type emblem XV; mark, stamp XVI; characteristic or representative form XVII; block carrying a letter or figure used in printing XVIII. — F. type or L. typus — Gr. túpos blow, impression, image, figure, f. base of túptein strike, beat. Comp. typewriter (-ER1) XIX (whence type vb., typist XIX).
So typic typical. XVII. — F. typique — late L. typicus — Gr. tupikós. typical XVII. — medL. typicālis. typography XVII. — F. typographie or modL. typographia. typographical XVI. — modL. typographer XVII. — F. typographe or modL. typographus. Hence typify XVII.

type

views updated May 18 2018

type Short for data type, used especially in combination, as in logical type (or type logical) and integer type (or type integer).