Pseudo

How to spell pseudo

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce pseudo

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pseudo mean?

1. adjectiveNot genuine; pretended or falsely claimed to be something.

Pseudo in a sentence

• The brochure used a lot of pseudo scientific language to sell the supplement.

• His pseudo concern for the staff disappeared the moment the cameras left.

Where does pseudo come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word comes straight from the Greek pseudes, meaning 'false' or 'lying', which was itself built on the verb pseudein, 'to lie' or 'to deceive'. In English it began life as a combining form, pseudo-, attached to other words to mark something as fake, sham, or only apparently genuine, as in 'pseudonym' (a false name) and 'pseudoscience'. By the nineteenth century writers had begun lifting it off as a standalone adjective and noun meaning 'pretended' or 'a pretentious fraud'. The spelling preserves the original Greek cluster: a silent initial 'p' followed by 'seu', which is exactly the trap, since the word is pronounced as if it simply began with an 's'. The same Greek 'lie' root sits inside relatives like 'pseudonym' and 'pseudonymous', so remembering one anchors the spelling of the rest.

How the word is built

• pseudo- (from Greek pseudes: false, lying)