Something that comes before and foreshadows or prefigures a more important or developed version; a prototype or precursor.
From Latin 'ante' (before) + Greek 'typos' (type, image, impression). This term originally had theological uses, describing Old Testament figures as antetypes of New Testament realities.
In theology and literature, an antetype is like a preview or shadow—medieval scholars saw figures like Adam as antetypes of Christ, showing how ancient stories were believed to contain hidden previews of future meanings.
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