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archetype

ar·che·type

archetype

 
 
pronunciation:
ar k taIp
features:
Word Combinations (noun), Word Parts
part of speech: noun
definition: an original model or pattern from which others are made or copied; prototype.
The American writer Edgar Allan Poe is said to have created the archetype of the detective story, inspiring an entire genre of literature.
synonyms:
exemplar, model, original, pattern, prototype
similar words:
ancestor, example, forerunner, ideal, mold, paradigm, paragon, precursor, predecessor, type
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derivations: archetypal (adj.), archetypic (adj.), archetypally (adv.)
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