Psyches

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The mental faculties responsible for thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; the essence of an individual that influences consciousness and identity; the psychological aspects of a person that relate to their character and life experiences
2. The collection of mental processes that define personality and emotional responses; the intrinsic nature of humans that guides perception and decision-making; the levels of awareness and emotional life that shape human experiences
3. The complete set of cognitive and emotional capabilities of a person; the fundamental elements that construct a person's identity and experiences; the inner workings of the mind that affect how one interacts with the world

Etymology: The plural "psyches" is simply the form of "psyche," so the real story belongs to the noun itself. In ancient Greek, "psukhḗ" meant breath, life, and soul, and it was closely tied to the idea of breathing: a person was alive while breath remained in the body. Greek thinkers came to use the word for the part of a person that thinks, feels and survives death, and Latin borrowed it as "psychē" with the same sense. English took the word in its Latin form, and it kept the sense of a soul or spirit for a long time before the modern meaning of an inner mental self took hold. The short form "psyche" is also a clipping of "psychology," which was built from "psukhḗ" and "-logía," meaning "study of." The French form "psychologie" passed the Greek roots into Latin "psychologia," and English later shortened that compound back down to the single word.

Synonyms: minds, souls, spirits