puer aeternus

English

Etymology

From Latin puer aeternus (“eternal boy”) (in Ovid, Metamorphoses), after use in German by Carl Jung.

Noun

puer aeternus (plural pueri aeterni)

  1. (mythology) A child-god who is forever young.
  2. (psychology) An archetype of eternal youth.
  3. (loosely) A man who remains emotionally childlike. [from 20th c.]
    • 2017, David Friend, The Naughty Nineties:
      Michael Jackson, the self-proclaimed King of Pop, eccentric puer aeternus, and singer-songwriter-dancer-entrepreneur, agrees to an out-of-court settlement in a child-molestation suit, reportedly paying out $20 million to settle one of a series of sex-abuse charges brought against him.

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Further reading

Spanish

Noun

puer aeternus m (uncountable)

  1. inner child
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