type
Meaning
a category of people or things having common characteristics
a person or thing exemplifying the ideal characteristics of a particular category
printed characters or letters
write using a typewriter or computer keyboard
be a characteristic example of; typify
Usage
She has a rare blood type.
He can type over 80 words per minute.
The building is a classic type of Victorian architecture.
Etymology
The word 'type' entered English in the late 15th century from the Latin 'typus', meaning 'figure, image, form', which itself was borrowed from the Greek 'typos', meaning 'a blow, impression, mark, model'. The Greek term derives from the verb 'typtein', 'to strike, beat'. The semantic journey is clear: from the physical act of striking, to the mark left by a blow, to a figure or model formed by such an impression, and finally to the modern abstract senses of a category or a standard example. The printing sense, relating to characters made by striking, directly reflects this ancient logic.
Analysis
The word 'type' is a simplex loanword from Latin via French. Its modern spelling and form are indivisible into productive English morphemes.