psyche

[ sahyk ]

/ saɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR psyche ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), psyched, psych·ing.

Nearby words

psych., psychalgia, psychasthenia, psychasthenic, psychataxia, psyche, psyche knot, psychedelia, psychedelic, psychiatric, psychiatric hospital

Definition for psyche (2 of 3)

Psyche

[ sahy-kee ]

/ ˈsaɪ ki /

noun

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

(lowercase) the human soul, spirit, or mind.

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

Neoplatonism. the second emanation of the One, regarded as a universal consciousness and as the animating principle of the world.

a female given name.

Origin of Psyche

1650–60 for def 2; < Latin psȳchē < Greek psȳchḗ literally, breath, derivative of psȳ́chein to breathe, blow, hence, live (see psycho-)

Definition for psyche (3 of 3)

psych

or psyche

[ sahyk ]

/ saɪk /

verb (used with object) Informal.

to intimidate or frighten psychologically, or make nervous (often followed by out): to psych out the competition.

to prepare psychologically to be in the right frame of mind or to give one's best (often followed by up): to psych oneself up for an interview.

to figure out psychologically; decipher (often followed by out): to psych out a problem.

Origin of psych

1915–20 in earlier sense “to subject to psychoanalysis”; originally a shortening of psychoanalyze; in later use (especially indefs 1, 2) perhaps independent use of psych-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for psyche

He then provides some insight into his psyche - complete with Animal House reference.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Hard-wired into the psyche of many is the idea that somehow time off is akin to sloth.
Obama’s Extravagant Summer Break? More Like, America’s Vacation-Deficit Disorder|Clive Irving|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Goldhagen depicts it as being so deeply inculcated in the German psyche that it was almost as if they had no choice.
Ron Rosenbaum on Hitler, Hollywood, and Quantifying Evil|William O’Connor|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Any of that stuff is almost helpful, if only to your psyche.
Jim Rash on ‘The Writers’ Room’ and the Future of ‘Community’|Kevin Fallon|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I had to lie abed for a month until my psyche began to knit and mend.
Making Lincoln Sexy: Jerome Charyn’s Fictional President|Tom LeClair|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And, as Psyche was, they were always sorry for it afterwards.
Love and Lucy|Maurice Henry Hewlett
Psyche saw through his pretences, and knew that he was annoyed, and she hated to annoy him.
The Laughing Mill and Other Stories|Julian Hawthorne
She rose up; she creaked; her splendour and pomp grated, and she glittered so, that Psyche was dazzled.
Psyche|Louis Couperus
They looked at each other, and the glances of their eyes promised no good to Psyche.
The Red Romance Book|Various
Ages older than the Psyche story, however, is the legend embodying the original Aryan myth.
British Goblins|Wirt Sikes

British Dictionary definitions for psyche (1 of 3)

psyche

/ (ˈsaɪkɪ) /

noun

the human mind or soul

Word Origin for psyche

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

British Dictionary definitions for psyche (2 of 3)

Psyche

/ (ˈsaɪkɪ) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for psyche (3 of 3)

psych

psyche

/ (saɪk) /

verb

(tr) informal to psychoanalyseSee also psych out, psych up

Word Origin for psych

C20: shortened from psychoanalyse

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

Medicine definitions for psyche

psyche

[ sī′kē ]

n.

The mind functioning as the center of thought, emotion, and behavior and consciously or unconsciously mediating the body's responses to the social and physical environment.

Culture definitions for psyche (1 of 2)

Psyche

[ (seye-kee) ]

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.”

Culture definitions for psyche (2 of 2)

psyche

[ (seye-kee) ]

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.