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
n1. (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.