type

Etymology

From Middle English type (“symbol, figure, emblem”), from Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “mark, impression, type”), from τύπτω (túptō, “I strike, beat”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp-. Related to stupid, stupefy and stop.

noun

1. A grouping based on shared characteristics; a class.
   Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade. 2012-03, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 128
   This type of plane can handle rough weather more easily than that type of plane.
2. An individual considered typical of its class, one regarded as typifying a certain profession, environment, etc.
   "I just peeked out toward the restaurant and there are a lot of Navy types in there. I'd hate for you to get in trouble on your last night in Europe." 2002, Pat Conroy, The Great Santini, page 4
3. An individual that represents the ideal for its class; an embodiment.
   Altogether he was the type of low ruffianism — as ill-conditioned a looking brute as ever ginned a hare. 1872, Mary Rose Godfrey, Loyal, volume 3, page 116
4. (printing">printing, countable) A letter or character used for printing">printing, historically a cast or engraved block.
   1. (uncountable) Such types collectively, or a set of type of one font or size.
   2. (chiefly uncountable) Text printed with such type, or imitating its characteristics.
      The headline was set in bold type.
5. (taxonomy) Something, often a specimen, selected as an objective anchor to connect a scientific name to a taxon; this need not be representative or typical.
   ...thus Stearn has designated Linnaeus as the type specimen of Homo sapiens March 20, 2009, Greg Mayer, “Who is the type specimen of Homo sapiens?”, in Why Evolution Is True
   Musca domestica is the type-species of Musca, a genus originally created by Linnaeus for a variety of higher Diptera, many of which are now known to be in other families. December 16, 2015, “What's in a fly?”, in Natural History Museum
6. Preferred sort of person; sort of person that one is attracted to.
   We can't get along: he's just not my type.
   He was exactly her type.
7. (medicine) A blood group.
8. (corpus linguistics) A word that occurs in a text or corpus irrespective of how many times it occurs, as opposed to a token.
9. (theology) An event or person that prefigures or foreshadows a later event - commonly an Old Testament event linked to Christian times.
10. (computing theory) A tag attached to variables and values used in determining which kinds of value can be used in which situations; a data type.
11. (fine arts) The original object, or class of objects, scene, face, or conception, which becomes the subject of a copy; especially, the design on the face of a medal or a coin.
12. (chemistry) A simple compound, used as a mode or pattern to which other compounds are conveniently regarded as being related, and from which they may be actually or theoretically derived.
    The fundamental types used to express the simplest and most essential chemical relations are hydrochloric acid, water, ammonia, and methane.
13. (mathematics) A part of the partition of the object domain of a logical theory (which due to the existence of such partition, would be called a typed theory). (Note: this corresponds to the notion of "data type" in computing theory.)
    Logics of the second and higher orders may be regarded as type-theoretic systems. 2011, V.N. Grishin (originator), "Types, theory of", in Encyclopedia of Mathematics. URL: http://www.encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php?title=Types,_theory_of&oldid=14150
    Categorial grammar is like a combination of context-free grammar and types.
14. (obsolete except in the above special senses) A symbol, emblem, or example of something.

verb

1. To put text on paper using a typewriter.
2. To enter text or commands into a computer using a keyboard.
3. To determine the blood type of.
   The doctor ordered the lab to type the patient for a blood transfusion.
4. To represent by a type, model, or symbol beforehand; to prefigure.
5. To furnish an expression or copy of; to represent; to typify.
6. To categorize into types.
   It was a full load, a disparate group that he had already typed and cross-matched with their potential for future crime. 1998, Dana Stabenow, Fire and Ice, page 1