Noun: archetype 'aa(r)-ki,tIp
- Something that serves as a model or pattern for later copies or developments
"this painting is a copy of the archetype";
- original, pilot
- A typical or ideal example of something
"The Victorian gentleman was seen as the archetype of respectability"
- (psychology) a primitive mental image or symbol present in the collective unconscious
"Jung identified several key archetypes like the mother and the trickster"
Derived forms: archetypes
Encyclopedia: Archetype