Archetype

 WORD OF THE DAY

archetype / noun / AHR-kih-type

Definition
1a: the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies
1b: prototype
1c: a perfect example
2: idea
3 (psychology): an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of Carl Gustav Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual

Examples
"The contemporary fantasy genre owes its existence to J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings.' In it, Tolkien consolidated and popularized the various fantastical archetypes—like elves, dwarves, and the dark lord—that have since ingrained themselves into humanity's collective cultural psyche."
— Yifei Cheng, The Student Life (Pomona College), 24 Feb. 2022

In popular culture, however, Skyline is the archetype that unofficially represents the Cincinnati collective.
— Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 30 Dec. 2021

Did You Know?
Archetype derives via Latin from the Greek adjective archetypos ("archetypal"), formed from the verb archein ("to begin" or "to rule") and the noun typos ("type").
Archein also gave us the prefix arch-, meaning "principal" or "extreme," used to form such words as archenemy, archduke, and archconservative.)
Archetype has specific uses in the fields of philosophy and psychology.
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, for example, believed that all things have ideal forms (aka archetypes) of which real things are merely shadows or copies.
And in the psychology of C. G. Jung, archetype refers to an inherited idea or mode of thought that is present in the unconscious of the individual.
In everyday prose, however, archetype is most commonly used to mean "a perfect example of something."