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/

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

• Catalan: psique (ca) f
• Czech: psýcha f
• Finnish: psyyke (fi)
• French: psyché (fr) f, psychisme (fr) m
• German: Psyche (de) f
• Interlingue:
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: mauri
• Occitan: psiquè f
• Polish: psychika (pl) f
• Russian: душа́ (ru) f (dušá), дух (ru) m (dux), пси́хика (ru) f (psíxika)
• Spanish: psique (es) f, psiquis (es) f
• 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/
• Rhymes: -aɪk

Noun

psyche (uncountable)

1. Abbreviation of psychology.

Interjection

psyche

1. (colloquial) Used abruptly after a sentence to indicate that the speaker is only joking.

Verb

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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to intimidate with psychology

• Finnish: kiusata henkisesti
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to treat with psychoanalysis

• Finnish: analysoida (fi), hoitaa psykoanalyysilla
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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.

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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

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Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈpsy.kʰeː/, [ˈps̠ʏkʰeː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpsi.ke/, [ˈpsiːke]

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