psyche

¹

[sahyk]

verb (used with object)

psyched, psyching 

1. a variant of psych.

Psyche

²

[sahy-kee]

noun

1. Classical Mythology.,  a personification of the soul, which in the form of a beautiful girl was loved by Eros.

2. psyche,

   1. the human soul, spirit, or mind.

   2. Psychology, Psychoanalysis.,  the mental or psychological structure of a person, especially as a motive force.

3. Philosophy.,  (inNeoplatonism ) the second emanation of the One, regarded as a universal consciousness and as the animating principle of the world.

4. a female given name.

Psyche

¹

/ ˈsaɪkɪ /

noun

1. Greek myth a beautiful girl loved by Eros (Cupid), who became the personification of the soul

psyche

²

/ ˈsaɪkɪ /

noun

1. the human mind or soul

Psyche

¹

1. In Roman mythology, a beautiful girl who was visited each night in the dark by Cupid, who told her she must not try to see him. When she did try, while he was asleep, she accidentally dropped oil from her lamp on him, and he awoke and fled. After she had performed many harsh tasks set by Cupid's mother, Venus, Jupiter made her immortal, and she and Cupid were married. Her name is Greek for both “soul” and “butterfly.”

psyche

²

1. The mind, soul, or spirit, as opposed to the body. In psychology, the psyche is the center of thought, feeling, and motivation, consciously and unconsciously directing the body's reactions to its social and physical environment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of psyche¹

First recorded in 1650–60 Psyche for def. 2a; from Latin psȳchē, from Greek psȳchḗ literally, “breath,” derivative of psȳ́chein “to breathe, blow,” hence, “live” ( psycho- )

Word History and Origins

Origin of psyche¹

C17: from Latin, from Greek psukhē breath, soul; related to Greek psukhein to breathe

Example Sentences

Black Friday sales seem to have come into existence in the 1980s, first as a novelty but then as a powerful tradition that has become deeply ingrained in the American psyche.

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We can’t know for certain if the Values Bridge data reveals a slow trend away from the centrality of family in the American psyche or a sudden drop, or why in either case.

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A great enigma of political psychology, the place to look might be the psyche of Rachel Maddow.

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When an ecosystem is so ingrained in your psyche, so essential to your culture and so central to the stories you tell about your reason for being, you have no choice but to safeguard it.

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“I wanted the show to be supremely theatrical in the sense that we would always be inside this girl’s psyche,” McPherson said.

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Related Words

• ego 
• mind 
• soul 
• spirit 
• subconscious