archetype

• Nom désignant un exemple typique d'une certaine personne ou chose, ou un modèle original à partir duquel d'autres sont copiés.

A noun referring to a very typical example of a certain person or thing, or an original model from which others are copied.

1. Original model or patternC1formal

   A very typical example of a certain person or thing; an original model after which other similar things are patterned.

   Modèle original

   • The hero's journey is a classic archetype in literature.
   • She is considered the archetype of the modern businesswoman.
   • The building is an archetype of Gothic architecture.

   Synonymesexemplarmodeloriginalparadigmpatternprototypestandardtemplate

2. Universal symbolC2formal

   In psychology (especially Jungian theory), a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, present in the collective unconscious.

   Archétype (psychologie analytique)

   • The mother figure is a powerful archetype in many cultures.
   • Jung identified the shadow as a key archetype of the unconscious.
   • The wise old man is a common archetype in myths and fairy tales.