Model

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈmÉ’dlÌ©/
• US IPA: /ˈmÉ‘dlÌ©/

Alternative forms

• modell

Origin

From Middle French modelle, from Old Italian modello, from Vulgar Latin *modellus, diminutive form of modulus ("measure, standard"), diminutive of modus ("measure"); see mode, and compare module, modulus, mould, mold.

Full definition of model

Noun

1. A person who serves as a subject for artwork or fashion, usually in the medium of photography but also for painting or drawing.
   The beautiful model had her face on the cover of almost every fashion magazine imaginable.
2. A representation of a physical object, usually in miniature.
   The boy played with a model of a World War II fighter plane.
• ShakespeareI had my father's signet in my purse,
  Which was the model of that Danish seal.
• AddisonYou have the models of several ancient temples, though the temples and the gods are perished.
3. A simplified representation used to explain the workings of a real world system or event.
   The computer weather model did not correctly predict the path of the hurricane.
4. A style, type, or design.
   He decided to buy the turbo engine model of the sports car.
5. The structural design of a complex system.
   The team developed a sound business model.
6. A successful example to be copied, with or without modifications.He was a model of eloquence and virtue.
• 2013-06-22, Engineers of a different kind, Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers....Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.
7. British parliamentary democracy was seen as a model for other countries to follow.
8. (logic) An interpretation function which assigns a truth value to each atomic proposition.
9. (logic) An interpretation which makes a certain sentence true, in which case that interpretation is called a model of that sentence.
10. A particular style, design, or make of a particular product.
    This year's model features four doors instead of two.
11. (manufacturing) An identifier of a product given by its manufacturer (also called model number).
12. Any copy, or resemblance, more or less exact.
• ShakespeareThou seest thy wretched brother die,
  Who was the model of thy father's life.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

• mode
• module

Adjective

1. Worthy of being a model; exemplary.
• unknown date, Blackwood's Magazine, volume 289, page 525:At our approach the animals made so much noise that the owners of the hut peered round the door to see what was the matter; outwardly rather less model than the farm, there appeared two ancient Basques, emblematically black-bereted, gnarled ...
• 1898, John Thorburn, The St. Andrew's Society of Ottawa: 1846-1897 : sketch, page 40:... from the land of your origin, because you demand the claims of those who believe it more model than yours, ...
• 1932, Nora Fugger, James Austin Galaston (translator), The Glory of the Habsburgs: the Memoirs of Princess Fugger, page 35:Methods of game-preservation in their extensive and well-stocked hunting-grounds were as model as the huntsmanlike management of the hunts.
• 1934, Charles Ryle Fay, Imperial economy and its place in the formation of economic doctrine, 1600-1932, page 143:... and we press with special severity on one small country whose agriculture is as model as is her way of rural life.
• 1956, Stephen Rynne, All Ireland, page 54:True, it is an untidy county; the farmhouses are much more model than the farms (when we reach Antrim we shall find that the farms are more model than the farmhouses).
• 1968, American County Government, volume 33, page 19:But not all the exchanges were as model as the sergeant. Some of the exchangees showed a rigidity and reluctance to adapt.
• 1999, Michael D. Williams, Acquisition for the 21st century: the F-22 Development Program, page 113:It is as model as you can get.
• 2002, Uma Anand Segal, A framework for immigration: Asians in the United States, page 308:While Asians have been perceived as the model minority, it is increasingly clear that some Asian groups are more model than are others, and even within these model groups, a division exists ...
• 2010, Eleanor Coppola, Notes on a Life, page 140:All were neat and well kept which added to the sense that they were more model than real.

Synonyms

• (worthy of being a model) ideal

Verb

1. (transitive) To display for others to see, especially in regard to wearing clothing while performing the role of a fashion model.She modelled the shoes for her friends to see.
2. (transitive) To use as an object in the creation of a forecast or model.They modelled the data with a computer to analyze the experiment’s results.
3. (transitive) To make a miniature model of.He takes great pride in his skill at modeling airplanes.
4. (transitive) To create from a substance such as clay.The sculptor modelled the clay into the form of a dolphin.
5. (intransitive) To make a model or models.
6. (intransitive) To be a model of any kind.The actress used to model before being discovered by Hollywood.

Synonyms

• modelise, US modelize

Related terms

• remodel
• modeler