Type
late 15th century (in the sense ‘symbol, emblem’): from French, or from Latin typus, from Greek tupos ‘impression, figure, type’, from tuptein ‘to strike’. The use in printing dates from the early 18th century; the general sense ‘category with common characteristics’ arose in the mid 19th century.
wiktionary
From Middle English type(“symbol, figure, emblem”), from Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος(túpos, “mark, impression, type”), from τύπτω(túptō, “I strike, beat”).
etymonline
type (n.)
late 15c., "symbol, emblem," from Latin typus "figure, image, form, kind," from Greek typos "a blow, dent, impression, mark, effect of a blow; figure in relief, image, statue; anything wrought of metal or stone; general form, character; outline, sketch," from root of typtein "to strike, beat," from PIE *tup-, variant of root *(s)teu- (1) "to push, stick, knock, beat" (see steep (adj.)).
Extended 1713 to printing blocks of metal or wood with letters or characters carved on their faces, usually in relief, adapted for use in letterpress printing. The meaning "general form or character of some kind, class" is attested in English by 1843, though the corresponding words had that sense in Latin and Greek. To be (someone's) type "be the sort of person that person is attracted to" is recorded from 1934.
type (v.)
"to write with a typewriter," 1888; see type (n.). Earlier it meant "to symbolize, typify" (1836) and "to foreshadow" (1590s). Related: Typed; typing.
