archetype
[ ahr-ki-tahyp ]
/ ˈɑr kɪˌtaɪp /
noun
the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.
(in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.
Origin of archetype
OTHER WORDS FROM archetype
ar·che·typ·al, ar·che·typ·i·cal [ahr-ki-tip-i-kuh l] /ˌɑr kɪˈtɪp ɪ kəl/, ar·che·typ·ic, adjective ar·che·typ·al·ly, ar·che·typ·i·cal·ly, adverbWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH archetype
archetype prototypeWords nearby archetype
arches national park,
archespore,
archesporium,
archetto,
archetypal,
archetype,
archfiend,
archi-,
archibald,
archibald prize,
archibenthos
Example sentences from the Web for archetype
British Dictionary definitions for archetype
archetype
/ (ˈɑːkɪˌtaɪp) /
noun
a perfect or typical specimen
an original model or pattern; prototype
psychoanal
one of the inherited mental images postulated by Jung as the content of the collective unconscious
a constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, etc
Word Origin for archetype
C17: from Latin
archetypum an original, from Greek
arkhetupon, from
arkhetupos first-moulded; see
arch-,
type
Medical definitions for archetype
archetype
[ är′kĭ-tīp′ ]
n.
An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned.
In Jungian psychology, an inherited pattern of thought or symbolic image that is derived from the past collective experience of humanity and is present in the unconscious of the individual.
imago
Other words from archetype
ar′che•typ′al (-tī′pəl) null null adj. ar′che•typ′i•cal•ly adv.Cultural definitions for archetype
archetype
[ (ahr-ki-teyep) ]
An original model after which other similar things are patterned. In the psychology of Carl Jung, archetypes are the images, patterns, and symbols (see also symbol) that rise out of the collective unconscious and appear in dreams, mythology, and fairy tales.