psyche

[ sahyk ]
See synonyms for psyche on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),psyched, psych·ing.
  1. a variant of psych1.

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Other definitions for Psyche (2 of 2)

Psyche
[ 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,

    • the human soul, spirit, or mind.

    • Psychology, Psychoanalysis. the mental or psychological structure of a person, especially as a motive force.

  1. Philosophy. (in Neoplatonism) the second emanation of the One, regarded as a universal consciousness and as the animating principle of the world.

  2. a female given name.

Origin of Psyche

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use psyche in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for psyche (1 of 2)

psyche

/ (ˈsaɪkɪ) /


noun
  1. the human mind or soul

Origin of psyche

1
C17: from Latin, from Greek psukhē breath, soul; related to Greek psukhein to breathe

British Dictionary definitions for Psyche (2 of 2)

Psyche

/ (ˈsaɪkɪ) /


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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for psyche (1 of 2)

psyche

[ (seye-kee) ]


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.

Psyche

[ (seye-kee) ]


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.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.