Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “psyche” come from?

Psyche comes from Ancient Greek ψυχή, combined with the Ancient Greek suffix -λογία derived from λέγω meaning "to speak," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- and the feminine suffix -eh₂.

psyche (English): The human soul, mind, or spirit; The human mind...

Definitions

  1. The human soul, mind, or spirit; The human mind...

Ancestry of “psyche”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpsychemind; spirit
2Ancient GreekψυχήThe animating principle of a human or animal...
3Ancient Greek-ηAdded to verbal stems ending in a consonant to...
4Ancient Greek-ᾱnominal suffix
5Proto-Indo-European-éh₂—

Words derived from “psyche”

  • psychotronics
  • psychal
  • monopsychism
  • eupsychian
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂ →