archetypal
Meaning
being a perfect or most typical example of a particular kind of person or thing.
relating to or being an original model or pattern from which copies are made.
Structure
Usage
he is the archetypal american hero, strong, silent, and morally upright.
the story follows the archetypal pattern of a hero's journey.
she played the archetypal evil stepmother in the film adaptation.
Etymology
the word 'archetypal' is built upon the concept of a primal model. its core, 'archetype', entered english in the mid-16th century from latin 'archetypum', which itself originated from the greek 'arkhetypon', a compound of 'arkhē' (beginning, origin) and 'typos' (model, pattern). the greek 'typos' literally meant a blow or impression, such as that made by a seal on wax, which evolved to signify the resulting figure or model. the adjective-forming suffix '-al' was later appended to create 'archetypal'. thus, the term's journey encapsulates the idea of the original imprint from which all subsequent copies derive, moving from a concrete physical impression to an abstract, quintessential pattern.
Analysis
arche (from greek 'arkhē', meaning beginning, origin, first principle). typ (from greek 'typos', meaning a blow, impression, model, figure). al (from latin adjectival suffix '-alis', meaning of or pertaining to).