puer aeternus

noun

A child-god who is forever young.

Similar
puer
OriginLatin puer →
First used 20th c.
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Meanings

nounpuer aeternus (plural pueri aeterni)

plural pueri aeterni

  1. human sciencesA child-god who is forever young.
  2. human sciencesAn archetype of eternal youth.
  3. broadlyA man who remains emotionally childlike.First known use 20th c.

    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.

    2017, David Friend, The Naughty Nineties

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
puer

Origin

  1. Latinpuer
  2. Englishpuer aeternus

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

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

puer aeternus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puer%20aeternus

MLA

“puer aeternus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puer%20aeternus. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “puer aeternus,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puer%20aeternus.

Source: puer aeternus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.