psyche

See also: Psyche and psyché

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin psychē, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sī'kē, IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪ.ki/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

Noun

psyche (plural psyches)

1. The human soul, mind, or spirit.
2. (chiefly psychology) The human mind as the central force in thought, emotion, and behavior of an individual.
3. A small white butterfly, Leptosia nina, family Pieridae, of Asia and Australasia.

Translations

the human soul, mind, or spirit

• Bulgarian: душа (bg) f (duša), психика (bg) f (psihika)
• Catalan: psique (ca) f
• Czech: psýcha f, psychika
• Finnish: psyyke (fi)
• French: psyché (fr) f, psychisme (fr) m
• German: Psyche (de) f
• Hungarian: psziché (hu)
• Italian: psiche (it) f
• Maori: mauri
• Occitan: psiquè (oc) f
• Polish: psyche (pl) f, psychika (pl) f
• Portuguese: psique (pt) f
• Russian: душа́ (ru) f (dušá), дух (ru) m (dux), пси́хика (ru) f (psíxika)
• Spanish: psique (es) f, psiquis (es) f
• Ukrainian: пси́хіка f (psýxika)
• Yiddish: פּסיכע‎ f (psikhe)

Etymology 2

Shortened form of psychology, from French psychologie, from Latin psychologia, from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul”) and -λογία (-logía, “study of”)

Alternative forms

• psych

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪk/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪk

Noun

psyche (uncountable)

1. Abbreviation of psychology.

Interjection

psyche

1. (colloquial) Alternative form of psych

Verb

psyche (third-person singular simple present psyches, present participle psyching, simple past and past participle psyched)

1. (transitive) To put (someone) into a required psychological frame of mind.
2. (transitive) To intimidate (someone) emotionally using psychology.
3. (transitive, informal) To treat (someone) using psychoanalysis.

Translations

to put into required frame of mind

• Finnish: psyykata

to intimidate with psychology

• Finnish: kiusata henkisesti

to treat with psychoanalysis

• Finnish: analysoida (fi), hoitaa psykoanalyysilla

Further reading

• “psyche”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “psyche”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin psychē, from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: psy‧che

Noun

psyche f (plural psyches)

1. psyche, soul, spirit

Derived terms

• psychisch

Latin

Etymology

Transliteration of Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul, breath”)

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpsy.kʰeː/, [ˈps̠ʏkʰeː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.ke/, [ˈpsiːke]
• Hyphenation: psy‧che

Noun

psychē f (genitive psychēs); first declension

1. mind
2. spirit

Declension

First-declension noun (Greek-type).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	psychē	psychae
Genitive	psychēs	psychārum
Dative	psychae	psychīs
Accusative	psychēn	psychās
Ablative	psychē	psychīs
Vocative	psychē	psychae

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpsɨ.xɛ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɨxɛ
• Syllabification: psy‧che
• Homophone: Psyche

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin psychē, from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ).

Noun

psyche f (indeclinable)

1. (literary, psychoanalysis) psyche (the human soul, mind, or spirit)

   Synonym: psychika

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French psyché, from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ).

Noun

psyche f (indeclinable)

1. cheval glass

Related terms

noun

• Psyche

 

Further reading

• psyche in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• psyche in Polish dictionaries at PWN