archeus
|ar-ke-us|
🇺🇸
/ɑrˈkiːəs/
🇬🇧
/ɑːˈkiːəs/
ruling vital force
Etymology
'archeus' originates from New Latin 'archeus', ultimately from Greek 'arkhē' (ἀρχή), where 'arkhē' meant 'beginning' or 'rule'.
'archeus' appears in early modern Latin usage (often in the writings of Paracelsus, 16th century) as 'archaeus'/'archeus' and was borrowed into English in early modern scientific and occult texts as 'archeus'.
Initially related to the general idea of a 'ruling' or 'originating' principle, it came to be specialized in Paracelsian thought as the specific 'vital force' governing bodily functions; in modern usage it is largely archaic or technical.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in Paracelsian alchemy and early modern medical thought, a purported vital or formative principle that governs growth, metabolism, digestion, and healing within living bodies.
Paracelsus described the archeus as the subtle agency that regulates digestion and recovery.
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Noun 2
an archaic or literary term for a primal, ruling, or organizing principle of nature or the cosmos (used chiefly in historical, philosophical, or occult contexts).
Some 17th-century writers invoked the archeus as the world's organizing spirit.
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Last updated: 2025/10/06 04:42