archetype
n.n. a perfect or original model of something. In stories, it is a character that represents a specific type, like a hero or a villain.
n. an original pattern or model from which copies are made; in literary and psychological contexts, a universally recognized symbol or motif.
The hero is a classic archetype in many stories.
The protagonist in the novel fits the archetype of the reluctant leader who must save his people.
Jungian psychology suggests that humans are born with a collective unconscious containing archetypes that influence our behavior and dreams throughout our lives.
From Old French architipe (modern French archétype), from Latin archetypum (“original”), from Ancient Greek ἀρχέτυπον (arkhétupon, “model, pattern”), the neuter form of ἀρχέτυπος (arkhétupos, “first-moulded”), from ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “beginning, origin”) (from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to begin; to lead, rule”), from Proto-Indo-European h₂ergʰ- (“to begin; to command, rule”)) + τῠ́πος (tŭ́pos, “blow, pressing; sort, type”) (from τύπτω (túptō, “to beat, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewp- (“to push; to stick”)).