psychomachia

psychomachy (ˈsaɪkəʊməkɪ)

/ (ˌsaɪkəʊˈmækɪə) /

noun

conflict of the soul

Nearby words

psychological warfare, psychologism, psychologist, psychologize, psychology, psychomachia, psychomancy, psychometric, psychometrics, psychometry, psychomimetic

Word Origin for psychomachia

C17: from Late Latin psӯchomachia, title of a poem by Prudentius (about 400), from Greek psukhē spirit + makhē battle

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

Examples from the Web for psychomachia

Apparently following the Psychomachia of Prudentius, a Christian poet of the 5th century.
Woman under Monasticism|Lina Eckenstein
Then conflict arises; the mediaeval Psychomachia awakes in Dante.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor