psyche means the personification of the soul. Originally a mortal princess who later married Eros/Cupid, (the god of love), was deified, and bore him a daughter, Hedone/Voluptas.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, psyche ranks #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #2,351 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable, #2,737 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words.
psyche is pronounced /ˈsaɪ.ki/.
Why “psyche” is a great word
The totality of the human soul, mind, and spirit as the animating principle behind thought, emotion, and behavior. From Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, "soul, spirit, breath, life"), the invisible exhalation that departs at death. Unlike "soul," which carries the weight of religious immortality, or "mind," which privileges intellect and conscious reasoning, the *psyche* is the secular, psychological whole—the sunlit realm of reason, the shadowed cellar of dream, and the primal undertow of the drive. It is the sudden, unbidden grief triggered by a forgotten scent, the intricate, self-deceptive architecture of a wish, and the patient on the couch speaking truths she does not know she knows. The psyche does not promise salvation; it simply insists that we are breathing mysteries to ourselves.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, literally “Soul, Spirit”).
name
- The personification of the soul. Originally a mortal princess who later married Eros/Cupid, (the god of love), was deified, and bore him a daughter, Hedone/Voluptas.
- 16 Psyche, a main belt asteroid
noun
- The human soul, mind, or spirit.“I've been driving in L.A. / And the world, it feels too big / Like a floating ball that's bound to break / Snap my psyche like a twig”
- The human mind as the central force in thought, emotion, and behavior of an individual.
- A small white butterfly, Leptosia nina, family Pieridae, of Asia and Australasia.
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