Dictionary.com
definitions

archetype

[ ahr-ki-tahyp ]
/ ˈɑr kɪˌtaɪp /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR archetype ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED CONTENT

Boo RadleyRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Where Did The Word “Pizza” Come From, Anyway?Who was the first to say (and eat) pizza?
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

paradigm, form, pattern, standard, ideal, model, prototype, original

Nearby words

  1. arches national park,
  2. archespore,
  3. archesporium,
  4. archetto,
  5. archetypal,
  6. archetypical,
  7. archfiend,
  8. archi,
  9. archi-,
  10. archibald

Origin of archetype

1595–1605; < Latin archetypum an original < Greek archétypon a model, pattern (neuter of archétypos of the first mold, equivalent to arche- arche- + týp(os) mold, type + -os adj. suffix)
Related formsar·che·typ·al, ar·che·typ·i·cal [ahr-ki-tip-i-kuh l] /ˌɑr kɪˈtɪp ɪ kəl/, ar·che·typ·ic, adjectivear·che·typ·al·ly, ar·che·typ·i·cal·ly, adverb
Can be confusedarchetype prototype
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for archetype

archetype

n.

"original pattern from which copies are made," 1540s, from Latin archetypum, from Greek arkhetypon "pattern, model, figure on a seal," neuter of adjective arkhetypos "first-moulded," from arkhe- "first" (see archon) + typos "model, type, blow, mark of a blow" (see type). Jungian psychology sense of "pervasive idea or image from the collective unconscious" is from 1919.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine 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
Related formsar′che•typ′al (-tī′pəl) null null adj.ar′che•typ′i•cal•ly adv.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Culture 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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.