primal scene

American  

noun

Psychoanalysis.

1. a child's first real or imagined observation of parental sexual intercourse.

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Etymology

Origin of primal scene

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

In a 1961 biography of his uncle, Milton Brasher recounted a primal scene between Rex’s father, Philip, an amateur ornithologist, and Audubon, who had invited and then rebuffed a visit from the elder Brasher.

From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2023

This variety of the primal scene was televised; in some quarters, including in a narrow majority of the Senate, it was celebrated.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 30, 2018

That description of the monster’s birth, which became the primal scene in all the films, is actually fairly cursory.

From Economist • Feb. 15, 2018

This primal scene makes sense to readers who are familiar with the Western genre.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2017

The preacher sketched lightly the primal scene to which his text related.

From The Main Chance by Nicholson, Meredith