stereotype, n. and adj. : Oxford English Dictionary

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stereotype, n. and adj. Pronunciation: /ˈstɛriːəʊtaɪp/ /ˈstɪəriːəʊ-/ Etymology: < French stéréotype adj., < Greek στερεό-ς solid + τύποςTYPE n. In French the word has only the original adjectival use, and the subst. use = édition stéréotype.

A. n. 1. The method or process of printing in which a solid plate of type-metal, cast from a papier-mâché or plaster mould taken from the surface of a forme of type, is used for printing from instead of the forme itself. 1800 Ann. Reg. 1798 (Otridge ed.) Chron. 22/2 The celebrated Didot, the French printer, with a German, named Herman, have announced a new discovery in printing, which they term stereotype. 1809 European Mag. 55 19 The prospectus of almost every work informs us, that the thing will be done in stereotype. 1816 Q. Rev. 15 345 The introducer of that mode of printing called Stereotype. 1824 J. JOHNSON Typographia II. xxii. 657 The invention of Stereotype, like that of Printing, is somewhat involved in mystery.

2. a. A stereotype plate. (In quot. 1817 used transf.) 1799 C. HUTTON Course Math. (ed. 2) I. 146 The tables‥are printed with what they call stereotypes, the types in each page being soldered together into a solid mass. 1817 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 500 (note) , An obelisk with engraved heiroglyphics upon it—a wooden or copper plate—a medal—are stereotpyes. 1858 P. L. SIMMONDS Dict. Trade Products, Stereotype, a solid page of metal cast from the letterpress. 1888 Times 7 Jan. 7/1 He seized the stereotypes and withdrew.

b. In generalized sense. 1823 Encycl. Brit. Suppl. VI. 378/1 The mode of casting stereotype is sufficiently simple.

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stereotype, n. and adj. : Oxford English Dictionary

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1823 Encycl. Brit. Suppl. VI. 378/1 A plate of stereotype does not require to be more than the seventh or eighth part of the thickness or height of the ordinary types.

3. fig. a. Something continued or constantly repeated without change; a stereotyped phrase, formula, etc.; stereotyped diction or usage. 1850 PRESCOTT in Ticknor Life (1864) 337, I told the Queen of the pleasure I had in finding myself in a land of friends instead of foreigners,—a sort of stereotype with me. 1877 J. MORLEY Crit. Misc. 2nd Ser. 91 The growth of brighter ideals‥will go on, leaving even further and further behind them your dwarfed finality and leaden moveless stereotype. 1908 Q. Rev. July 5 The stereotype of school, newspaper and department prevails.

b. A preconceived and oversimplified idea of the characteristics which typify a person, situation, etc.; an attitude based on such a preconception. Also, a person who appears to conform closely to the idea of a type. 1922 W. LIPPMAN Public Opinion vi. 93 A stereotype may be so consistently and authoritatively transmitted in each generation from parent to child that it seems almost like a biological fact. 1935 G. W. ALLPORT in C. Murchison Handbk. Social Psychol. xvii. 809 Attitudes which result in gross oversimplifications of experience and in prejudgements…are commonly called biases, prejudices, or stereotypes. 1948 D. KRECH & R. S. CRUTCHFIELD Theory & Probl. Social Psychol. II. v. 171 The concept of stereotype‥refers to two different things. (1)‥a tendency for a given belief to be widespread in a society.‥ (2)‥a tendency for a belief to be oversimplified in content and unresponsive to the objective facts. 1960 T. HUGHES Lupercal 42 Who lived at the top end of our street Was a Mafeking stereotype, ageing. 1968 W. E. LAMBERT et al. in J. A. Fishman Readings Sociol. of Lang. 487 American students of English-speaking backgrounds who are in the process of studying the French language have a generally negative set of stereotypes about the basic personality characteristics of Frenchspeaking people. 1974 Howard Jrnl. 14 102 The stereotypes which society has of the offender, are quickly matched by stereotypes which many offenders create of society. 1981 Church Times 23 Oct. 9/1 The neatly dressed unmarried lady (never without handbag)‥is definitely not the narrow stereotype our media would have us think she is.

c. Zool. A stereotyped action or series of actions performed by an animal (see STEREOTYPED adj. c).

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stereotype, n. and adj. : Oxford English Dictionary

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1966 R. A. HINDE Animal Behaviour xxiii. 389 In captivity animals often develop behaviour stereotypes or tics which are repeated monotonously. 1971 Sci. Amer. June 117/1 Although subordinate males had no chance to mate with hens at the display grounds, they did perform mock matings.‥ Mounting a pile of dry cow manure or a log or simply squatting on the ground, they would go through the stereotype of mating actions: treading the object, fluttering their wings, lowering their tail and even in some cases ejaculating.

B. adj. (Often undistinguishable from the attrib. use of the n.) 1. lit. Of an edition: Printed by the process described above in A. 1. Also used as an epithet of the process. 1801 Philos. Mag. 10 268 The processes connected with letter-press-plate or stereotype printing. 1817 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 500 (note) , At the present Epoch (1800), the art of Printing is become rather retrograde; or we should not hear so much of Stereotype editions. 1820 J. MILNER Suppl. Mem. Eng. Catholics 243 A small stereotype edition of the New Testament. 1861 S. SMILES Lives Engineers II. 142 Earl Stanhope‥ also made important improvements in the process of stereotype printing.

2. fig. = STEREOTYPED adj. b. Now somewhat rare. 1824 J. MORIER Adventures Hajji Baba I. Introd. Epist. p. xxxiv, It is an ingenious expression which I owe to you, sir, that the manners of the East are as it were stereotype. 1837 T. CARLYLE French Revol. II. III. iii. 160 Cartels by the hundred: which he,‥answers now always with a kind of stereotype formula. 1846 Hints on Husband-Catching 20 This same stereotype smile. 1848 CURWEN Singing Introd. p. xx, Thus is‥singing made almost a hopeless thing by the stereotype faults of the Old Notation. 1895 Oracle Encycl. I. 561/1 The style began to assume a stereotype character. 1899 A. GUDEMAN in Class. Rev. XIII. 216/1 A veritable mosaic of stereotype ideas.

COMPOUNDS C1. General attrib. a. stereotype art n.

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stereotype, n. and adj. : Oxford English Dictionary

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1801 Philos. Mag. 10 277 If there would be an advantage in applying the *stereotype art to books of rapid sale.

stereotype metal n. 1839 A. URE Dict. Arts 51 The alloys called type metal, *stereotype metal. 1875 E. H. KNIGHT Pract. Dict. Mech., Stereotype-metal.

stereotype office n. 1804 tr. Freylinghausen's Abstr. Chr. Relig. before title, Standing Rules of The *Stereotype Office.

stereotype plate n. 1807 Monthly Mag. May 372/2 The expence of *Stereotype plates‥is not 20 l. per cent. of that of moveable type pages. 1872 J. YEATS Techn. Hist. Commerce 339 A compound of tin and bismuth is employed in stereotype plates.

b. stereotype-bookseller n. 1813 A. WILSON in Trans. Soc. Arts XXVIII. 321 Having resolved to unite the business of a *Stereotype Bookseller to those of a Stereotype Manufacturer and Printer, I propose that [etc.].

stereotype-cast n. 1843 C. HOLTZAPFFEL Turning & Mech. Manip. I. 325 The *stereotype-cast is nearly as sharp as the original type.

stereotype-founder n. 1813*Stereotype manufacturer [see stereotype-bookseller n.]. 1843 C. HOLTZAPFFEL Turning & Mech. Manip. I. 325 The *stereotype-founder takes a copy of the entire mass of type in plaster of Paris.

stereotype manufacturer n.

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stereotype, n. and adj. : Oxford English Dictionary

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1813*Stereotype manufacturer [see stereotype-bookseller n.].

stereotype printer n. 1813*Stereotype printer [see stereotype-bookseller n.]. 1820 T. HODGSON Ess. Stereotype Printing 119 As a stereotype printer Mr. Wilson must ever rank amongst the most eminent.

C2. stereotype-block n. (a) a stereotype plate; (b) a block of iron or wood on which a stereotype plate is fixed. 1859 R. HUNT Guide Mus. Pract. Geol. (ed. 2) 188 *Stereotype Blocks of Fusible Metal. 1875 E. H. KNIGHT Pract. Dict. Mech., Stereotype-block, a block on which a stereotype is mounted to make it type-high.

stereotype-press n. (a) a press for shaping and drying the mould in which a stereotype is cast; (b) a printing-press in which stereotypes are used. 1805 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 250/2 The first production of the new *stereotype press. 1875 E. H. KNIGHT Pract. Dict. Mech., Stereotype-press, a small press for use in the clay process [of stereotyping].

stereotype, n. and adj. Second edition, 1989; online version November 2010. ; accessed 02 February 2011. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1916.

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