template
noun /ˈtempleɪt/
/ˈtemplət/
- a shape cut out of a hard material, used as a model for producing exactly the same shape many times in another material
- Pressing the template firmly down on the plastic, cut around it with a knife.
- a thing that is used as a model for producing other similar examples
- If you need to write a lot of similar letters, set up a template on your computer.
- In our DNA we all carry a genetic template for the next generation.
- The director uses his own childhood experiences as a template for the movie.
Word Originlate 17th cent. (as templet): probably from temple ‘a device in a loom for keeping the cloth stretched’ + -et. The change in the ending in the 19th cent. was due to association with plate.