archetype
noun /ˈɑːkitaɪp/
/ˈɑːrkitaɪp/
(formal)- the most typical or perfect example of a particular kind of person or thing
- She is the archetype of an American movie star.
Word Originmid 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek arkhetupon ‘something moulded first as a model’, from arkhe- ‘primitive’ + tupos ‘a model’.