tem·plate also tem·plet  (t ĕm pl ĭt)
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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.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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