model: Meaning and Definition of

mod•el

Pronunciation: (mod'l), [key]
— n., adj., v., -eled, -el•ing -elled, -el•ling.
—n.
  1. a standard or example for imitation or comparison.
  2. a representation, generally in miniature, to show the construction or appearance of something.
  3. an image in clay, wax, or the like, to be reproduced in more durable material.
  4. a person or thing that serves as a subject for an artist, sculptor, writer, etc.
  5. a person whose profession is posing for artists or photographers.
  6. a person employed to wear clothing or pose with a product for purposes of display and advertising.
  7. a style or design of a particular product: His car is last year's model.
  8. a pattern or mode of structure or formation.
  9. a typical form or style.
  10. a simplified representation of a system or phenomenon, as in the sciences or economics, with any hypotheses required to describe the system or explain the phenomenon, often mathematically.
  11. an animal that is mimicked in form or color by another.
—adj.
  1. serving as an example or model: a model home open to prospective buyers.
  2. worthy to serve as a model; exemplary: a model student.
  3. being a small or miniature version of something: He enjoyed building model ships.
—v.t.
  1. to form or plan according to a model.
  2. to give shape or form to; fashion.
  3. to make a miniature model of.
  4. to fashion in clay, wax, or the like.
  5. to simulate (a process, concept, or the operation of a system), commonly with the aid of a computer.
  6. to display to other persons or to prospective customers, esp. by wearing: to model dresses.
  7. to use or include as an element in a larger construct: to model new data into the forecast.
—v.i.
  1. to make models.
  2. to produce designs in some plastic material.
  3. to assume a typical or natural appearance, as the parts of a drawing in progress.
  4. to serve or be employed as a model.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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