Exemplar is a word that has maintained its elevated register for seven centuries. Where its cousin 'example' has become ordinary, exemplar retains the gravitas of something truly exceptional — a model so perfect it defines the standard. The etymology reveals that this distinction is built into the word's very structure: an exemplar is something taken out from the common run as supremely representative.
The word derives from Latin exemplar, meaning a model, pattern, or original to be copied. This noun is formed from exemplum (a sample, an example, something selected as representative), which in turn comes from the verb eximere (to take out, to remove, to select). Eximere is composed of ex- (out) and emere (to take, to obtain, to buy).
The PIE root *em- (to take) behind Latin emere generated a family of words about taking, selecting, and acquiring. Redeem means to buy back. Premium is what is taken before — the price paid first. Exempt means taken out of an obligation. Peremptory (from per + emere) means completely taking
The Latin distinction between exemplum and exemplar is significant. An exemplum was a sample or illustration — something representative of a type. An exemplar was a model or archetype — something that defined the type. The exemplum said 'this is what things of this kind are like.' The exemplar said 'this is what things of this kind should aspire to be.' English
Medieval usage of exemplar was strongly influenced by Platonic philosophy. In the Platonic tradition, exemplars (sometimes called Ideas or Forms) were the perfect, eternal patterns of which earthly things were imperfect copies. A medieval theologian discussing the exemplar causes of creation was describing the divine ideas that served as templates for the created world. This philosophical usage reinforced the word's association with perfection
In practical medieval life, exemplar had a specific bookish meaning: the master copy of a manuscript from which other copies were made. Before printing, every book was handwritten, and the accuracy of each copy depended on the quality of its exemplar. University stationarii (booksellers) maintained official exemplars from which student copies were produced under regulated conditions. The integrity
Gutenberg's invention of movable type in the 1450s transformed the concept: now the 'exemplar' was the typeset form itself, and every printed copy was theoretically identical. The Gutenberg Bible, sometimes called the exemplar of all printed books, is an exemplar in both senses — a master copy and a model of supreme achievement.
In contemporary English, exemplar maintains its dual function: a specific instance that represents a category, and a model of excellence worthy of emulation. Scientists speak of exemplars of a species. Ethicists discuss moral exemplars. The word is never casual — to call something an exemplar is to make a strong claim about its representative perfection.