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