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archetype

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
ar·che·type  (ärk-tp)
n.
1. An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype: "'Frankenstein' . . . 'Dracula' . . . 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' . . . the archetypes that have influenced all subsequent horror stories" (New York Times).
2. An ideal example of a type; quintessence: an archetype of the successful entrepreneur.
3. In Jungian psychology, an inherited pattern of thought or symbolic imagery derived from the past collective experience and present in the individual unconscious.

[Latin archetypum, from Greek arkhetupon, from neuter of arkhetupos, original : arkhe-, arkhi-, archi- + tupos, model, stamp.]

arche·typal (-tpl), arche·typic (-tpk), arche·typi·cal adj.
arche·typi·cal·ly adv.
Usage Note: The ch in archetype, and in other English words of Greek origin such as architect and chorus, represents a transliteration of Greek X (chi), and is usually pronounced like (k). In a recent survey, 94 percent of the Usage Panel indicated that they pronounce archetype (ärk-tp), with a (k) sound, while 6 percent preferred the pronunciation (ärch-tp), with a (ch) sound. Of those who preferred the traditional (k) pronunciation, 10 percent noted that the (ch) pronunciation was also acceptable. Only the traditional pronunciation is widely accepted as standard, however.

archetype [ˈɑːkɪˌtaɪp]
n
1. a perfect or typical specimen
2. an original model or pattern; prototype
3. (Psychoanalysis) Psychoanal one of the inherited mental images postulated by Jung as the content of the collective unconscious
4. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a constantly recurring symbol or motif in literature, painting, etc.
[from Latin archetypum an original, from Greek arkhetupon, from arkhetupos first-moulded; see arch-, type]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.archetype - something that serves as a model or a basis for making copies; "this painting is a copy of the original"
example, model - a representative form or pattern; "I profited from his example"

archetype
noun prime example, standard, model, original, pattern, classic, ideal, norm, form, prototype, paradigm, exemplar He is the archetype of the successful businessman.
Translations
archetype [ˈɑːkɪtaɪp] N
1. (= original) → arquetipo m
2. (= epitome) → modelo m, arquetipo m
archetype [ˈɑːrkɪtaɪp] nprototype m, archétype m
archetype
nArchetyp(us) m (form); (= original, epitome also)Urbild nt, → Urtyp m
archetype [ˈɑːkɪˌtaɪp] n (original) → archetipo; (epitome) → prototipo


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
If we suppose that the ancient progenitor, the archetype as it may be called, of all mammals, had its limbs constructed on the existing general pattern, for whatever purpose they served, we can at once perceive the plain signification of the homologous construction of the limbs throughout the whole class.
Tourists in Normandy, Brittany, Maine, and Anjou must all have seen in the capitals of those provinces many houses which resemble more or less that of the Cormons; for it is, in its way, an archetype of the burgher houses in that region of France, and it deserves a place in this history because it serves to explain manners and customs, and represents ideas.
What appears once in the atmosphere may appear often, and it was undoubtedly the archetype of that familiar ornament.
 
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