psyche

¹

[ sahyk ]

verb (used with object)

, psyched, psych·ing.

1. a variant of psych ¹.

Psyche

²

[ sahy-kee ]

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a personification of the soul, which in the form of a beautiful girl was loved by Eros.
2. psyche,
   1. the human soul, spirit, or mind.
   2. Psychology, Psychoanalysis. the mental or psychological structure of a person, especially as a motive force.
3. Philosophy. (in Neoplatonism ) the second emanation of the One, regarded as a universal consciousness and as the animating principle of the world.
4. a female given name.

psyche

¹

/ ˈsaɪkɪ /

noun

1. the human mind or soul

Psyche

²

/ ˈsaɪkɪ /

noun

1. Greek myth a beautiful girl loved by Eros (Cupid), who became the personification of the soul

Psyche

¹

1. In Roman mythology , a beautiful girl who was visited each night in the dark by Cupid , who told her she must not try to see him. When she did try, while he was asleep, she accidentally dropped oil from her lamp on him, and he awoke and fled. After she had performed many harsh tasks set by Cupid's mother, Venus , Jupiter made her immortal, and she and Cupid were married. Her name is Greek for both “soul” and “butterfly.”

psyche

²

1. The mind, soul, or spirit, as opposed to the body. In psychology , the psyche is the center of thought, feeling, and motivation, consciously and unconsciously directing the body's reactions to its social and physical environment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of psyche¹

First recorded in 1650–60 Psyche fordef 2a; from Latin psȳchē, from Greek psȳchḗ literally, “breath,” derivative of psȳ́chein “to breathe, blow,” hence, “live” ( psycho- )

Word History and Origins

Origin of psyche¹

C17: from Latin, from Greek psukhē breath, soul; related to Greek psukhein to breathe

Example Sentences

“But that’s only if you’re thinking about existing in a flawed society. You can’t build up your psyche and your understanding of yourself based off of something that actually is arbitrary.”

From Los Angeles Times

I went there, I learned to love the peasants, the bombing shocked my psyche and soul to the core, and I responded — not because I was hopeful or hopeless, but because I was alive.”

From Salon

Black Americans, as a people, deeply understand and carry this history and lived experience and the knowledge and burden of democracy as contingent and imperiled in our collective bodies, psyches, and memories.

From Salon

If you could correct one thing, it would be to get that out of the psyche of the interviewers.

From Salon

But, perhaps because of those mythic roots and their ability to test the human psyche, they’ve exploded in popularity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ego
• mind
• soul
• spirit
• subconscious