Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A young woman who loved and was loved by Eros and was united with him after Aphrodite's jealousy was overcome. She subsequently became the personification of the soul.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun Greek mythology, Roman mythology a girl loved by
Cupid (orEros ), and who later became a goddess. - proper noun In late Greek art and literature, a goddess who is the
personification of thesoul ; she is primarily known for her role in the story of Cupid and Psyche, best attested in Apuleius' novel The Golden Ass - proper noun 16 Psyche, an
asteroid - proper noun Psychidae, or
bagworms , a family ofLepidoptera
Etymologies
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Examples
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The Jewish Psyche is about giving money to causes, not for seats or jobs or positions.
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In Psyche in a Dress, Psyche is the daughter of a movie director who exploits her beauty in his work.
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The country of Glome falls on bad times about the same time Psyche is in her mid to late teens.
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Psyche is all that is beautiful and good and to Orual, who has raised her, the Priest has made a mistake.
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But she discovers that Psyche is alive and well and living in a lush valley just over the mountain top.
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I wouldn't mind it, but I hope they realize that I only had a minor in Psyche in college and I'm really only guessing.
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[51] The word Psyche signifies "butterfly," the emblem of the soul in ancient art.
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome E.M. Berens
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International Romantic Survey Exposes Flaws in National Psyche, Polling Harmless Media Skirmish Breaks Out Over Harmless "Neo-Nazi" Training Camp Hungarian Scientists Say Dogs Have Morals; Tabloid Slut Queen Not So Much
Pestiside.hu 2008
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When Pat returned home from shooting her latest movie—a thriller called Psyche 59—she began to sense a new buzz of anticipation around Hud.
Storyteller Donald Sturrock 2010
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An abstract game, but a funky name Psyche Paths, with that groovy psychedelic lettering style.
Archive 2008-03-01 2008
jesse74 commented on the word Psyche
In Greek mythology, the personification of the human soul. The story of the love of Eros (Cupid) for Psyche is a philosophical allegory, founded upon the Platonic conception of the soul. In this connexion Psyche was represented in Greek and Graeco-Roman art as a tender maiden, with bird's or butterfly's wings, or simply as a butterfly. Sometimes she is pursued and tormented by Eros, sometimes she revenges herself upon him, sometimes she embraces him in fondest affection. The tale of Cupid and Psyche, in the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, has nothing in common with this conception but the name. In it Psyche, the youngest daughter of a king, arouses the jealousy of Venus, who orders Cupid to inspire her with love for the most despicable of men. Cupid, however, falls in love with her himself, and carries her off to a secluded spot, where he visits her by night, unseen and unrecognized by her. Persuaded by her sisters that her companion is a hideous monster, and forgetful of his warning, she lights a lamp to look upon him while he is asleep; in her ecstasy at his beauty she lets fall a drop of burning oil upon the face of Cupid, who awakes and disappears. Wandering over the earth in search of him, Psyche falls into the hands of Venus, who forces her to undertake the most difficult tasks. The last and most dangerous of these is to fetch from the world below the box containing the ointment of beauty. She secures the box, but on her way back opens it and is stupefied by the vapour. She is only restored to her senses by contact with the arrow of Cupid, at whose entreaty Jupiter makes her immortal and bestows her in marriage upon her lover. The meaning of the allegory is obvious. Psyche, as the personification of the soul, is only permitted to enjoy her happiness so long as she abstains from ill-advised curiosity. The desire to pry into its nature brings suffering upon her; but in the end, purified by what she has undergone, she is restored to her former condition of bliss by the mighty power of love. --1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
February 20, 2012