n. (also templet) 1 a a pattern or gauge, usu. a piece of thin board or metal plate, used as a guide in cutting or drilling metal, stone, wood, etc. b a flat card or plastic pattern esp. for cutting cloth for patchwork etc. 2 a timber or plate used to distribute the weight in a wall or under a beam etc. 3 Biochem. the molecular pattern governing the assembly of a protein etc.
[ orig. templet: prob. f. TEMPLE(3) + -ET(1), alt. after plate ]