I. ˈmä-d ə l noun
Etymology: Middle French modelle, from Old Italian modello, from Vulgar Latin * modellus, from Latin modulus small measure, from modus
Date: 1575
1. obsolete : a set of plans for a building
2. dialect British : copy , image
3. : structural design
a home on the model of an old farmhouse
4. : a usually miniature representation of something ; also : a pattern of something to be made
5. : an example for imitation or emulation
6. : a person or thing that serves as a pattern for an artist ; especially : one who poses for an artist
7. : archetype
8. : an organism whose appearance a mimic imitates
9. : one who is employed to display clothes or other merchandise
10.
a. : a type or design of clothing
b. : a type or design of product (as a car)
11. : a description or analogy used to help visualize something (as an atom) that cannot be directly observed
12. : a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs ; also : a computer simulation based on such a system
climate model s
13. : version 3
14. : animal model
Synonyms:
model , example , pattern , exemplar , ideal mean someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation. model applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation
a decor that is a model of good taste
example applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning
children tend to follow the example of their parents
pattern suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype
American industry set a pattern for others to follow
exemplar suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification
cited Joan of Arc as the exemplar of courage
ideal implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception
never found a job that matched his ideal
II. verb
( -eled or -elled ; -el·ing or mod·el·ling ˈmäd-liŋ, ˈmä-d ə l-iŋ)
Date: 1625
transitive verb
1. : to plan or form after a pattern : shape
2. archaic : to make into an organization (as an army, government, or parish)
3.
a. : to shape or fashion in a plastic material
b. : to produce a representation or simulation of
using a computer to model a problem
4. : to construct or fashion in imitation of a particular model
model ed its constitution on that of the United States
5. : to display by wearing, using, or posing with
model ed gowns
intransitive verb
1. : to design or imitate forms : make a pattern
enjoys model ing in clay
2. : to work or act as a fashion or art model
• mod·el·er also mod·el·ler ˈmäd-lər, ˈmä-d ə l-ər noun
III. adjective
Date: 1844
1. : serving as or capable of serving as a pattern
a model student
2. : being a usually miniature representation of something
a model airplane