1
a(1)
: a gauge, pattern, or mold (such 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 (such as messenger RNA)
2
: something that establishes or serves as a pattern
3
: a short piece or block placed horizontally in a wall under a beam to distribute its weight or pressure (as over a door)
Example Sentences
The software includes templates for common marketing documents like pamphlets and flyers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Have team members add ideas one at a time to the template, whiteboard, or sticky notes.
—
Mark Cruth, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2023
Largen said some extended breaks during the regular season have provided a template for how the team has handled the nearly three-week gap between the end of the regular season and the start of the national tournament.
—Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2023
This could include a white paper, a free template, an infographic or a competitive analysis, all available once a user fills out a form on a landing page and opts into your marketing cycle.
—Roshni Wijayasinha, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
Last month’s Clash at the Coliseum and this summer’s Chicago Street Race provide the template.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2023
Trace templates onto fabric, cut out, and sew together as instructed on template.
—Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 22 Feb. 2023
Her career has revealed no simple or perfect template under the umbrella of ecotourism — nor a consistent definition.
—Tree Meinch, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2023
Moore said union leaders hope the agreement will provide a template for improving pay and benefits for home care workers elsewhere in California.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2023
Any legal action to reclaim the Modulo funds could provide a template for broader efforts to recover money that Mr. Bankman-Fried invested in smaller companies.
—Royston Jones Jr., New York Times, 24 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘template.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
alteration of earlier templet in same senses (by assimilation to plate entry 1), of uncertain origin
Note:
The form templet has been compared with French templet «implement on a loom for stretching cloth during weaving,» a diminutive of temple in the same sense, though there is no apparent explanation for the very dissimilar senses. The relation of sense 3 (attested earlier) to sense 1 is unclear.
First Known Use
1677, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of template was
in 1677
Dictionary Entries Near template
Cite this Entry
“Template.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/template. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.
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26 Mar 2023
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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
or tem·plet
[ tem-plit ]
/ ˈtɛm plɪt /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
noun
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.
anything that determines or serves as a pattern; a model: You can use my notes as a template for employee evaluations.
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.
Shipbuilding. either of two wedges in each of the temporary blocks forming the support for the keel of a ship while building.
Aerial Photogrammetry. any object having lines, slots, or straightedges to represent lines radiating from the center of a photograph, used for graphic triangulation.
Genetics. a strand of DNA or RNA that serves as a pattern for the synthesis of a complementary strand of nucleic acid or protein.
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.
Also called safe. a marble base for a toilet.
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Origin of template
1670–80; alteration of templet, apparently by falsely etymologizing final syllable as plate1
Words nearby template
tempest-tossed, tempestuous, tempestuously, tempi, Templar, template, temple, Temple City, Temple of Artemis, temple orange, templet
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
MORE ABOUT TEMPLATE
What does template mean?
A template is a pattern, model, or guide for the creation of some kind of project.
Template is most commonly used in a general way, but it has many specific meanings depending on the context it is being used in.
Example: When creating your résumé, don’t start from scratch—use a template so that you can make sure you format it properly.
Where does template come from?
The first records of template come from the 1670s. It’s an alteration of the word templet that was influenced by the word plate. Templet may come from a French word that refers to a part of a loom, but the ultimate origin is unknown.
The word template can be used in almost countless contexts. Anything that serves as a pattern to make something can be called a template. Traditionally, templates have been physical objects used to create other physical objects, but now they also often take the form of specialized software to create things like designs and documents.
Template has a more specific meaning in many different fields and trades. In construction, a template is a horizontal piece of a wall that distributes the pressure of a beam. In shipbuilding, a template is used to support the frame of the ship while it’s being built. In genetics, a template is a strand of DNA or RNA that serves as a pattern for the creation of similar strands.
Did you know … ?
How is template used in real life?
Template is most commonly used in a general way to refer to a pattern that allows something more specific to be created, but it has many different specific uses.
Online course creators, how did you go about branding and designing your course?
DIY?
Hired a designer?
Used a template?
Canva?
Google docs?— Kristen Ashton ⚡️ (@stillpixels) March 5, 2020
best software /template for a tv treatment?
— Aimée Kelly (@aimeemkelly) June 25, 2019
Tip of the Day: Use sandpaper with adhesive on the back to place on the backside of each quilting template to prevent slipping.
— Bonnie Keown (@ednasquilts) December 16, 2010
Try using template!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym for template?
A. guide
B. pattern
C. product
D. model
Words related to template
arrangement, decoration, device, diagram, figure, guide, impression, instruction, markings, mold, motive, original, ornament, patterning, plan, stencil, trim
How to use template in a sentence
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These provide templates integrating their own voice app experiences for you to customize further.
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Previously, the solution would have been bespoke from the origin, the publisher said, although it wouldn’t say how much it’s charging for the templates.
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We’re trying to build a different proposition that doesn’t fit well within that template.
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Every woman’s experience is different across her cycle, and there’s no one-size-fits-all template.
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The former Seattle officer predicted that any pullbacks would follow the same template they had in his city.
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Gardner now becomes the model—and his campaign the template—for how to win purple states.
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Robert: First of all, it sets more of a template for the year for us.
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For all we are told about a “modern monarchy” the Duchess is—now—a very old-fashioned template of the silent, fantasy princess.
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He created an enduring template, as Harris puts it, for “what ‘real’ war film is supposed to look like.”
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His template for government was the peasant fantasy he dreamed up during his years of service on a Soviet pig farm.
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It is preferable to shape the inside first, cutting it out roughly and checking up with the template.
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The template is put on the ends of the straight pole, and the dowel centres are pricked into the wood.
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A temporary piece of wood is planed to a true mitre and placed underneath the dovetailed piece to form a template.
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The method of obtaining the correct angles of such a template has already been given on p. 134.
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A small wooden template is made out of beech or other hardwood, having its ends cut at 45 degrees.
British Dictionary definitions for template
noun
a gauge or pattern, cut out in wood or metal, used in woodwork, etc, to help shape something accurately
a pattern cut out in card or plastic, used in various crafts to reproduce shapes
a short beam, made of metal, wood, or stone, that is used to spread a load, as over a doorway
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
Word Origin for template
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
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.
tem·plate
also tem·plet (tĕm′plĭt)
n.
1. A pattern or gauge, such as a thin metal plate with a cut pattern, used as a guide in making something accurately, as in woodworking or the carving of architectural profiles.
2. Computers
a. A document or file having a preset format, used as a starting point for a particular application so that the format does not have to be recreated each time it is used: a loan amortization template for a spreadsheet program.
b. An overlay that fits over all or part of a keyboard and has labels describing the functions of each key within a particular application.
3. A horizontal piece of stone or timber used to distribute weight or pressure, as over a door frame.
4. Biochemistry A molecule of a nucleic acid, such as DNA, that serves as a pattern for the synthesis of a macromolecule, as of RNA.
[Probably from French templet, diminutive of temple, temple of a loom; see temple3.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
template
(ˈtɛmplɪt) or
templet
n
1. (Tools) a gauge or pattern, cut out in wood or metal, used in woodwork, etc, to help shape something accurately
2. (Crafts) a pattern cut out in card or plastic, used in various crafts to reproduce shapes
3. (Building) a short beam, made of metal, wood, or stone, that is used to spread a load, as over a doorway
4. (Biochemistry) 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
[C17 templet (later spelling influenced by plate), probably from French, diminutive of temple3]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tem•plate
(ˈtɛm plɪt)
n.
1. a pattern, mold, or the like, usu. 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.
3. a horizontal piece, as of timber or stone, in a wall, to receive and distribute the pressure of a girder, beam, or the like.
4. Genetics. a strand of DNA that serves as pattern for the formation of a complementary strand.
5. a flat strip, as of cardboard, placed on a computer keyboard to provide ready reference to software commands.
6. an electronic file with a predesigned, customized format and structure, as for a fax, letter, or expense report, ready to be filled in.
7. a marble base for a toilet.
Sometimes, tem′plet.
[1670–80; alter. of templet, appar. by falsely etymologizing final syllable as plate]
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Translations
šablona
mallinesapluuna
sablon
formatmodel
template
templet (US) [ˈtemplɪt] N → plantilla f
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
template
[ˈtɛmpleɪt] n
(for cutting wood, metal, cloth, paper) → patron m
(COMPUTING) [document, letter] → modèle m
(fig) (= model) → modèle m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
template
templet (Am) [ˈtɛmplɪt] n → sagoma
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
tem·plate
n. patrón, molde.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look up template in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Template may refer to:
Tools[edit]
- Die (manufacturing), used to cut or shape material
- Mold, in a molding process
- Stencil, a pattern or overlay used in graphic arts (drawing, painting, etc.) and sewing to replicate letters, shapes or designs
Computing[edit]
- The main document from which mail merge documents are created
- Style sheet (web development) or master page, a sheet or page on which a user can globally edit and format graphic elements and text common to each page of a document
- Template (C++), a tool for generic programming in the C++ language
- Template (file format), a standardized, non-executable file type used by computer software as a pre-formatted example on which to base other files, especially documents
- Template (word processing), a standard document containing layout and styles used to configure word processing software
- Template metaprogramming, a programming technique used by a compiler to generate temporary source code
- Template method pattern, an object-oriented design pattern
- Template processor, a system that combines a template with data to produce an output
- Web template, a master page or a page element that can be used to produce web pages dynamically
Molecular genetics[edit]
- A strand of DNA which sets the genetic sequence of new strands during replication
- A strand of RNA which translates genes into proteins
Other uses[edit]
- A pre-developed page layout in electronic or paper media used to make new pages with a similar design, pattern, or style
- Boilerplate (text), any text that is or can be reused in new contexts or applications without being greatly changed from the original
- Template (novel), a novel by Matthew Hughes
- Template (racing), a device used in car racing to ensure that the body of the race vehicle adheres to specifications
See also[edit]
- Form letter, a letter written from a template
- Template engine (disambiguation)
- For templates on Wiktionary, see Wiktionary:Templates.
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Alteration of templet, probably from French templet, diminutive of temple (“a weaver’s stretcher”), variant of tempe, from Latin tempora (“temple”). Alteration of second syllable due to analogy with plate. Cognate with Faroese tamba (“to stretch out, relax”), Icelandic þamb (“a stretched, bloated, or extended belly”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈtɛm.plɪt/, /ˈtɛm.plət/, /ˈtɛm.pleɪt/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈtɛm.plɪt/, /ˈtɛm.plət/
Noun[edit]
template (plural templates)
- A physical object whose shape is used as a guide to make other objects.
- A generic model or pattern from which other objects are based or derived.
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- (computing) document template (file with a basic outline for a work)
- (molecular biology) A macromolecule which provides a pattern for the synthesis of another molecule.
-
2002, S. Lottin et al., “Thioredoxin post-transcriptional regulation by H19 provides a new function to mRNA-like non-coding RNA”, in Nature[1], volume 21, number 10:
-
Classically, the functional product of coding genes is a protein whose synthesis is directed by an mRNA-template.
-
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- (object-oriented programming) A partially defined class or function, that can be instantiated in a variety of ways depending on the instantiation arguments.
- A template is a blueprint or formula for creating a generic class or a function. “C++ Templates”, in tutorialspoint, 2016
- A strip of metal used in boiler-making, pierced with a series of holes, and serving as a guide in marking out a line of rivet-holes.
Derived terms[edit]
- templating (computing)
Translations[edit]
physical object
- Albanian: stampë (sq) f
- Arabic: قَالَب m (qālab)
- Armenian: կաղապար (hy) (kałapar), շաբլոն (hy) (šablon)
- Assamese: চানেকি (saneki)
- Azerbaijani: şablon
- Belarusian: шабло́н m (šablón)
- Bulgarian: шабло́н (bg) m (šablón)
- Burmese: အတိုင်း (my) (a.tuing:)
- Catalan: model (ca) m, patró (ca) m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 模板 (zh) (múbǎn), 型板 (zh) (xíngbǎn)
- Czech: šablona (cs) f
- Danish: skabelon (da) c
- Dutch: sjabloon (nl) n, malplaatje n
- Esperanto: ŝablono (eo)
- Estonian: mall (et), šabloon (et)
- Finnish: malline (fi), sapluuna (fi)
- French: gabarit (fr) m, calibre (fr) m, patron (fr) m, réglette (fr) f, modèle (fr)
- Galician: modelo m
- Georgian: თარგი (targi), შაბლონი (šabloni)
- German: Vorlage (de) f, Schablone (de) f
- Greek: πρότυπο (el) n (prótypo)
- Hebrew: תַּבְנִית (he) f (tavnít)
- Hindi: साँचा (hi) m (sā̃cā)
- Hungarian: sablon (hu)
- Ido: shablono (io)
- Indonesian: templat
- Interlingua: patrono
- Irish: teimpléad m
- Italian: mascherina f, sagoma (it) f, modello (it) m, stampo (it) m, calibro (it) m
- Japanese: 型板 (かたばん, kataban), 雛形 (ja) (ひながた, hinagata), テンプレート (tenpurēto)
- Kazakh: үлгі (ülgı)
- Korean: 템플렛 (tempeullet), 샘플 (saempeul), 틀 (ko) (teul)
- Kyrgyz: калып (ky) (kalıp)
- Lao: ແມ່ແບບ (mǣ bǣp), ແບບ (bǣp)
- Latvian: veidne f
- Lithuanian: šablonas (lt) m
- Luxembourgish: Schabloun (lb) f
- Macedonian: предлошка f (predloška), шабло́н m (šablón)
- Malay: templat
- Maori: matua, tāhua, paparangi
- Middle Persian: h’mgwn
- Mongolian: загвар (mn) (zagvar)
- Navajo: bee álnééhé
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: mal (no) m, sjablong m
- Nynorsk: mal m, sjablong m
- Persian: قالب (fa) (qâleb), شابلون (fa) (šâblon)
- Polish: szablon (pl) m
- Portuguese: modelo (pt) m, predefinição (pt) f, molde (pt) m, gabarito (pt) m
- Romanian: model (ro) n, format (ro) n, șablon (ro) n
- Russian: шабло́н (ru) m (šablón)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: шаблон m, подлога f
- Roman: šablon (sh) m, podloga (sh) f
- Slovak: šablóna f
- Slovene: predloga f
- Spanish: plantilla (es) f
- Swedish: mall (sv) c, schablon (sv) c, mönster (sv) n (textiles)
- Tagalog: suleras
- Thai: แม่แบบ (th) (mɛ̂ɛ-bɛ̀ɛp)
- Turkish: şablon (tr)
- Ukrainian: шабло́н (uk) m (šablón)
- Venetian: modèl m
- Vietnamese: bản mẫu, khuôn mẫu (vi)
- Walloon: modele (wa) m, patron m
- Welsh: templed (cy) m, patrymlun (cy) m
generic model
- Armenian: կաղապար (hy) (kałapar)
- Assamese: চানেকি (saneki)
- Czech: šablona (cs) f
- Danish: forlæg n, mønster (da) n, model c
- Esperanto: ŝablono (eo)
- Finnish: malli (fi)
- French: modèle (fr) m
- German: Vorlage (de) f
- Hebrew: תַּבְנִית (he) f (tavnít)
- Hungarian: séma (hu), sablon (hu), minta (hu), templátum
- Irish: múnla m
- Italian: modello (it) m, paradigma (it) m
- Macedonian: предлошка f (predloška), шаблон m (šablon)
- Malayalam: മാതൃക (ml) (mātr̥ka)
- Maori: tauira (mi), papatauira
- Norwegian: mønster (no) n
- Polish: schemat (pl) m, szablon (pl) m
- Romanian: șablon (ro) n
- Russian: шаблон (ru) (šablon)
- Spanish: patrón (es) m
- Turkish: şablon (tr)
- Venetian: modèl m
See also[edit]
- boilerplate
- cookie cutter
- generics
- macro
- schema (and scheme)
- stencil
Verb[edit]
template (third-person singular simple present templates, present participle templating, simple past and past participle templated)
- To set up or mark off using a template.
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1994, Howard I. Chapelle, Boatbuilding[2], →ISBN, page 368:
-
Only that part of the floor timber that bears on the planking and keel need be templated; […]
-
-
- To provide a template or pattern for.
-
2003, Yu Wang et al., “Synthesis and characterization of a new layered gallium phosphate templated by cobalt complex”, in Journal of Solid State Chemistry, volume 170, number 1, →DOI:
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Metal phosphates that are templated by transition-metal complexes are rare.
-
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- (molecular biology, transitive) To synthesize by means of a template.
Derived terms[edit]
- templater
Anagrams[edit]
- palmette
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Anglicism (English template). Possibly a doublet of templet.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /tɛm.plɛt/, /tɑ̃.plɛt/
Noun[edit]
template m (plural templates)
- (object-oriented programming) template
Spanish[edit]
Verb[edit]
template
- second-person singular voseo imperative of templar combined with te