template

or tem·plet

[ tem-plit ]
See synonyms for template on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a pattern, mold, or the like, usually consisting of a thin plate of wood or metal, serving as a gauge or guide in mechanical work.

  2. anything that determines or serves as a pattern; a model: You can use my notes as a template for employee evaluations.

  1. Building Trades. a horizontal piece, as of timber or stone, in a wall, to receive and distribute the pressure of a girder, beam, or the like.

  2. Shipbuilding. either of two wedges in each of the temporary blocks forming the support for the keel of a ship while building.

  3. Aerial Photogrammetry. any object having lines, slots, or straightedges to represent lines radiating from the center of a photograph, used for graphic triangulation.

  4. Genetics. a strand of DNA or RNA that serves as a pattern for the synthesis of a complementary strand of nucleic acid or protein.

  5. Computers.

    • a small sheet or strip of cardboard, plastic, or the like, that fits over a portion of the keyboard and provides ready reference to the keystroke commands of a particular software program.

    • an electronic file with a predesigned, customized format and structure, as for a fax, letter, or expense report, ready to be filled in.

  6. Also called safe. a marble base for a toilet.

Origin of template

1
1670–80; alteration of templet, apparently by falsely etymologizing final syllable as plate1

Words Nearby template

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use template in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for template

template

templet

/ (ˈtɛmplɪt) /


noun
  1. a gauge or pattern, cut out in wood or metal, used in woodwork, etc, to help shape something accurately

  2. a pattern cut out in card or plastic, used in various crafts to reproduce shapes

  1. a short beam, made of metal, wood, or stone, that is used to spread a load, as over a doorway

  2. biochem the molecular structure of a compound that serves as a pattern for the production of the molecular structure of another specific compound in a reaction

Origin of template

1
C17 templet (later spelling influenced by plate), probably from French, diminutive of temple ³

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for template

template

[ tĕmplĭt ]


  1. A molecule of a nucleic acid, such as DNA, that serves as a pattern for the synthesis of another molecule of a nucleic acid.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.