type
Definitions
A category or kind; a group of things sharing common features.
类型；种类
Printed letters or characters; the metal blocks used to print them.
字体；活字
To write something using a keyboard or typewriter.
打字；用键盘输入
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedtype comes straight from Greek typos, 'a mark left by a blow.' Two everyday meanings split from that single image: a 'type' is a pattern stamped out repeatedly (a category, a kind), and to 'type' is to strike keys that press letters onto a page — printing type was literally metal struck onto paper.
Root type still carries 11 more wordsWhy It Means This
The same word means both 'a kind' and 'to key in text' because both trace to the idea of an impression. A category is a repeated pattern (like the same stamp pressed many times); typing is making impressions one keystroke at a time. The 'kind' sense is far more common today, but the 'printed letters' sense survives in phrases like 'bold type' and 'fine print.'
Common Collocations
- 1.type of……的类型
- 2.blood type血型
- 3.type something out打出（文字）
- 4.all types of各种各样的
- 5.personality type性格类型
Example Sentences
- 1.
What type of music do you usually listen to?
- 2.
She can type over eighty words a minute.
- 3.
Please type your password and press Enter.
- 4.
The headline was printed in large bold type.
Easily Confused
type vs kind vs sort — All three mean 'category' and are often interchangeable: this type/kind/sort of problem. 'type' sounds slightly more technical or precise (blood type, data type); 'kind' and 'sort' are more casual, with 'sort' especially British. Use 'type' when classification matters; 'kind/sort' in everyday speech.