Jon Pretty

What English word would you use to describe a particular example of a type constructor, in the sense that `List[Int]` and `List[String]` are examples of `List`s? I'd like to avoid calling them "examples" if possible.

This question arose because we can talk about `List`'s type parameter being "instantiated" (that is, decided during typechecking) to `Int` or `String`, but saying `List[Int]` is an instance of a type is problematic because it implies the creation of a new heap object.

So while "List[Int] is an instance of a List" is correct in a certain context, I don't want to confuse my readers by assuming they have precisely that context and not a slightly different one. Any ideas?

Not sure. Concrete types, as opposed to generic types. They are concrete. Just like Int is, and just like List[A] is not, it is a pattern to make concrete types, the type constructor pattern. Maybe.