archetype
/ˈɑɹkɪtaɪp/ noun C2- An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned. · Near-synonym: prototype (sometimes synonymous)
- An ideal example of something; a quintessence.
- A character, object, or story that is based on a known character, object, or story.
- According to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung: a universal pattern of thought, present in an individual's unconscious, inherited from the past collective experience of humanity.
- A protograph (“original manuscript of a text from which all further copies derive”).
Plural archetypes
Other matches
Learn archetype in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.