Word profile · “model”
One word. Eight different jobs.
“Model” is older than machine learning, and it does a different job in every field that uses it.
NOUN
A simplified representation of a thing or system, used to understand it, predict it, or build it.
SENSE 01Representationof a system, object or process
SENSE 02Personwho poses or displays
SENSE 03Standarda design to copy
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The word in the wild
Click a field to see what a model is there.
CLICK A NODE
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Field guide
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Etymology
modusLatin: measure, manner
modulusLatin: small measure
modelloItalian: pattern, mould
modelEnglish, 1570s
Core idea: a measure that stands in for the real thing.
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Usage share by domain
Illustrative estimates, not measured data.
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The common thread
Every model swaps something too big, slow or uncertain for something you can hold.