English
archetype
Archetype comes from Latin archetypum ‘original’, from Ancient Greek ἀρχέτυπον ‘model, pattern’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- ‘to push’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewp-1‘to push’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ergʰ-1‘to begin’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄρχω1árkhō‘to begin’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀρχή1arkhḗ‘beginning, origin’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀρχέτυπος1arkhétupos‘first-moulded’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀρχέτυπον1arkhétupon‘model, pattern’neuter form of ἀρχέτυπος
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarchetypum1‘original’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400architipe1
- Englishearliest quotation 1658archetype1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English archetype
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1658, Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter V.: “According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewp-Wiktionary, English archetype‘to push’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ergʰ-Wiktionary, English archetype‘to begin’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄρχωWiktionary, English archetypeárkhō‘to begin’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀρχήWiktionary, English archetypearkhḗ‘beginning, origin’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀρχέτυποςWiktionary, English archetypearkhétupos‘first-moulded’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀρχέτυπονWiktionary, English archetypearkhétupon‘model, pattern’neuter form of ἀρχέτυπος
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarchetypumWiktionary, English archetype‘original’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400architipeWiktionary, English archetype
- Englishearliest quotation 1658archetypeWiktionary, English archetype. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1658, Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter V.: “According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- ‘to push’
stop, stuff, typical, steep, stubborn, stub, timbre, stupendous, timpani, tympanum, 18 more
through Ancient Greek ἄρχω ‘to begin’
archive, archon, archenemy, 14 more
through Ancient Greek ἀρχή ‘beginning, origin’
Today it means
noun An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “archetype”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- / archetype