typical
Meaning
Having the usual qualities or features of a particular type of person or thing.
Characteristic of a particular person or thing.
Structure
Usage
This is a typical example of Gothic architecture.
He reacted with typical enthusiasm to the new project.
A typical working day for her starts at 7 a.m.
Etymology
The word 'typical' traces its lineage to the Greek typos, which originally meant a blow, the mark left by a blow, an impression, and by extension, a model or figure. This term was absorbed into Latin as typus. The adjectival suffix -icalis was added in Late Latin to form typicus, meaning "of or pertaining to a type or model." Entering English in the early 17th century, 'typical' evolved from the literal sense of "constituting a type" to its modern abstract meaning of representing the most usual or characteristic qualities of a group, preserving the core logic of being the definitive impression or model against which others are compared.
Analysis
- typ: From Latin typus (figure, image, model), from Greek typos (a blow, impression, model). Functions as the core root carrying the meaning of a model or standard form. - ical: A common English adjectival suffix derived from Latin -icalis, combining -ic (pertaining to) and -al (of the kind of). It forms adjectives meaning "of or pertaining to" the root.