exemplar

See also: Exemplar and exemplář

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English exempler, from Middle French exemplair, and its source, Latin exemplar, from Latin exemplum (“example”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɛɡˈzɛm.plə/, /ɪkˈzɛm.plə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɛɡˈzɛm.plɑɹ/, /ɪɡˈzɛm.plɚ/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ex‧em‧plar

Noun

exemplar (plural exemplars)

2. Something fit to be imitated; an ideal, a worthy model or role model: a desirable example.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:model

   Michelangelo's "David" is an exemplar of Renaissance sculpture.

   • 2020 August 26, Nigel Harris, “Comment Special: Catastrophe at Carmont”, in Rail, page 4:

     A ray of light amid all this nonsense was Gwyn Topham's piece in the Guardian, which was timely, measured, accurate and of appropriate tone. That this single report stood out so clearly as an exemplar is a scathing comment in itself on the volumes of drivel surrounding it.

4. Something typical or representative; an example that typifies its class.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:exemplar

6. A pattern after which others should be made; an archetype.
8. A well-known use of a scientific theory.
10. A manuscript used by a scribe to make a handwritten copy; the original document to be reproduced in a copy machine.
12. A copy of a book or piece of writing.
    • 1539, Richard Taverner, “Preface”, in Taverner's Bible:

      To amend the same [default] according to the true exemplars.

Derived terms

• counterexemplar
• exemplarary
• exemplarise
• exemplarize

Translations

something fit to be imitated

• Arabic: أُسْوَة f (ʔuswa)
• Bulgarian: модел (bg) m (model), образец (bg) m (obrazec)
• Georgian: ნიმუში (nimuši), მოდელი (modeli), მაგალითი (magaliti)
• German: Vorbild (de) n, Vergleichstück n
• Irish: eiseamláir f
• Macedonian: пример m (primer)
• Māori: tauira (mi)
• Romanian: model (ro) n
• Russian: образе́ц (ru) m (obrazéc)
• Spanish: ejemplar (es) m

role model — see role model

something typical or representative of a class

• Bulgarian: образец (bg) m (obrazec), пример (bg) m (primer)
• Georgian: ნიმუში (nimuši), მაგალითი (magaliti), ეგზემპლარი (egzemṗlari), მოდელი (modeli)
• German: Urbild (de) n, Urgestalt f
• Italian: esemplare (it) m, campione (it) m
• Latin: exemplar (la) n
• Macedonian: примерок m (primerok)
• Māori: tauaromahi
• Romanian: exemplar (ro) n
• Russian: образе́ц (ru) m (obrazéc)
• Spanish: ejemplar (es) m

handwritten manuscript

• Bulgarian: екземпляр (bg) m (ekzempljar)
• Esperanto: ekzemplero
• French: exemple (fr) f
• German: Urschrift (de) f
• Latin: copia (la) f
• Macedonian: примерок m (primerok)
• Russian: экземпля́р (ru) (ekzempljár)

copy

• Spanish: ejemplar (es) m, ejemplario (es) m

Etymology 2

From Middle English exempler, from Middle French exemplaire, and its source, Latin exemplāris. By surface analysis, example +‎ -ar. Doublet of exemplary.

Adjective

exemplar (comparative more exemplar, superlative most exemplar)

1. (obsolete) Exemplary.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 8, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     In our age we have no patterne of motherly affection more exemplare, than yours.

Translations

exemplary — see exemplary

References

• “exemplar”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

• “exemplar”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• exampler

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [əɡ.zəmˈplar]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [əɡ.zəmˈpla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [eɡ.zemˈplaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [eɡ.zemˈplar]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: (Central) -ar, (Balearic) -a, (Valencia) -aɾ
• Hyphenation: ex‧em‧plar

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin exemplāris.

Adjective

exemplar m or f (masculine and feminine plural exemplars)

1. exemplary

Derived terms

• exemplarisme

Related terms

• exemplaritat

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Latin exemplar.

Noun

exemplar m (plural exemplars)

1. copy; edition

Derived terms

• exemplar d'obsequi

Further reading

• “exemplar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “exemplar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “exemplar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “exemplar”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)
• “exemplar” in ésAdir, El portal lingüístic de la Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals.

Latin

Etymology

Nominalization of apocopated exemplāre, neuter of exemplāris (“exemplary”), or directly from exemplum +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɛkˈsɛm.pɫar]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [eɡˈzɛm.plar]
• Hyphenation: ex‧em‧plar

Noun

exemplar n (genitive exemplāris); third declension

1. model, pattern, example, original or ideal
2. copy

   Synonym: exemplāris

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, pure i-stem).

	singular	plural
nominative	exemplar	exemplāria
genitive	exemplāris	exemplārium
dative	exemplārī	exemplāribus
accusative	exemplar	exemplāria
ablative	exemplārī	exemplāribus
vocative	exemplar	exemplāria

Derived terms

• exemplārium

Related terms

• exemplum

Descendants

• → Catalan: exemplar (learned)
• → English: exemplar
• → French: exemplaire (learned)
• → German: Exemplar
• → Italian: esemplare (learned)
• → Middle Irish: eisimpláir
  • Irish: eiseamláir
• → Portuguese: exemplar (learned)
• → Russian: экземпля́р (ekzempljár)
• → Spanish: ejemplar (learned)

References

• “exemplar”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• exemplar in Georges, Karl Ernst; Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 1, Hahnsche Buchhandlung, column 2539
• R. E. Latham, D. R. Howlett, & R. K. Ashdowne, editors (1975–2013), “exemplar”, in Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources‎^[1], London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy, →ISBN, →OCLC
• “exemplar”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 622, column 1.
• Harm Pinkster, editor (2018), “exemplar”, in Woordenboek Latijn/Nederlands‎^[2], 7th revised edition, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, →ISBN, →OCLC
• Latino-Sinicum [translated as: 式樣／式样 (shìyàng); 表樣／表样 (biǎoyàng); 稿本 (gǎoběn); 法帖 (fǎtiè); 規模／规模 (guīmó)]
• "EXEMPLAR", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “exemplar”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Further reading

• exemplar in Ramminger, Johann (14 October 2026 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[3], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Occitan

Alternative forms

• exemplari (Provençal)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin exemplar.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Adjective

exemplar m (feminine singular exemplara, masculine plural exemplars, feminine plural exemplaras)

1. exemplary

Noun

exemplar m (plural exemplars)

1. copy, specimen, example

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs

Proto-Italic *eks

Latin ex

Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *h₁émeti

Proto-Italic *emō

Latin emō

Latin eximō

Latin exemplum

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Latin exemplārislbor.

Portuguese exemplar

Learned borrowing from Latin exemplāris.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /e.zẽˈplaʁ/ [e.zẽˈplah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /e.zẽˈplaʁ/ [e.zẽˈplah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /e.zẽˈplaɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /e.zẽˈplaʁ/ [e.zẽˈplaχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /e.zẽˈplaɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /i.zẽˈplaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /i.zẽˈplaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /i.zẽˈpla.ɾi/

• Rhymes: (most of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro) -aʁ, (São Paulo, Portugal) -aɾ, (Caipira) -aɻ, (Southern Portugal) -aɾi
• Hyphenation: e‧xem‧plar

Adjective

exemplar m or f (plural exemplares)

1. exemplary

Noun

exemplar m (plural exemplares)

1. example, exemplar

Further reading

• “exemplar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “exemplar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “exemplar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs

Proto-Italic *eks

Latin ex

Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *h₁émeti

Proto-Italic *emō

Latin emō

Latin eximō

Latin exemplum

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Latin exemplārenom.

▲

Latin exemplum

▲

Latin -āris

Latin -āre

Latin -ar

Latin exemplar

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -ārium

Latin exemplarium

French exemplairebor.

Romanian exemplar

Borrowed from French exemplaire, from Latin exemplarium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eɡ.zemˈplar/

• Rhymes: -ar
• Hyphenation: ex‧em‧plar

Noun

exemplar n (plural exemplare)

1. copy

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	exemplar	exemplarul	exemplare	exemplarele
genitive-dative	exemplar	exemplarului	exemplare	exemplarelor
vocative	exemplarule		exemplarelor

Further reading

• “exemplar”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026

Swedish

Alternative forms

• ex (colloquial)

Etymology

From Late Latin exemplarium, from Latin exemplum.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

exemplar n

1. a copy, a specimen (one of many identical artifacts)

   Tidningen trycktes i 550 000 exemplar.

   The newspaper was printed in 550,000 copies.

   Museet har ett sällsynt exemplar av detta mynt.

   The museum has a rare specimen of this coin.

   Kan jag få kontraktet i två exemplar?

   Can I have two originals of the contract?

Usage notes

• An exemplar (“copy”) is typically regarded as a fully valid instance of a work, whereas a kopia (“copy”) is often perceived as secondary to an original. For example, a newspaper is typically an exemplar (“copy”), whereas a photocopy is typically a kopia (“copy”).

Declension

Declension of exemplar

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	exemplar	exemplars
	definite	exemplaret	exemplarets
plural	indefinite	exemplar	exemplars
	definite	exemplaren	exemplarens

Related terms

• exemplarframställning

See also

• kopia (“copy, reproduction, duplicate”)