[tem.plate] also tem.plet n [prob. fr. F templet, dim. of temple, part of a loom, prob. fr. L templum] (1677) 1: a short piece or block placed horizontally in a wall under a beam to distribute its weight or pressure (as over a door)
2. a (1): a gauge, pattern, or mold (as a thin plate or board) used as a guide to the form of a piece being made (2): a molecule (as of DNA) that serves as a pattern for the generation of another macromolecule (as messenger RNA) b: overlay c
3: something that establishes or serves as a pattern