Word of the Day

: March 16, 2010

archetype

noun AHR-kih-type

What It Means

: the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies : prototype; also : a perfect example

archetype in Context

"A redeveloped Tonsley Park will be an archetype of the new economy … an economy that is knowledge-based, environmentally sustainable and responsive to climate change." (Brian Cunningham, The [Australia] Advertiser, February 9, 2010)

Did You Know?

"Archetype" derives via Latin from the Greek adjective "archetypos" ("archetypal"), formed from the verb "archein" ("to begin" or "to rule") and the noun "typos" ("type"). ("Archein" also gave us the prefix "arch-," meaning "principal" or "extreme" and used to form such words as "archenemy," "archduke," and "archconservative.") "Archetype" has specific uses in the fields of philosophy and psychology. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, for example, believed that all things have ideal forms (aka archetypes) of which real things are merely shadows or copies. And in the psychology of C. G. Jung, "archetype" refers to an inherited idea or mode of thought that is present in the unconscious of the individual. In everyday prose, however, "archetype" is most commonly used to mean "a perfect example of something."