Main Entry: ar·che·type

Pronunciation: \ˈär-ki-ˌtīp\

Function: noun

1 a : a primitive generalized plan of structure deduced from the characters of a natural group of plants or animals and assumed to be the characteristic of the ancestor from which they are all descended b : the original ancestor of a group of plants or animals
2 : an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual

—ar·che·typ·al \ˌär-ki-ˈtī-pəl\ adjective