Pseudo-

For the novel with the original title Pseudo, see Hocus Bogus.
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Pseudo- (from Greek: ψευδής, pseudés 'false') is a prefix used in a number of languages, often to mark something as a fake or insincere version.[1]

In English, the prefix is used on both nouns and adjectives. It can be considered a privative prefix specifically denoting disproximation, i.e. that the resulting word refers to something that has moved away from the core meaning of the base that the prefix is added to.[2] The meaning is the same in French and Greek, but in Greek it also attaches to other word classes such as verbs and adverbs.[3]

  1. ^ Lehrer, Adrienne (1995). "Prefixes in English Word Formation". Folia Linguistica. 29 (1–2). doi:10.1515/flin.1995.29.1-2.133. ISSN 0165-4004.
  2. ^ Cappelle, Bert; Daugs, Robert; Hartmann, Stefan (2023-04-01). "The English privative prefixes near-, pseudo- and quasi-: Approximation and 'disproximation'". Zeitschrift für Wortbildung / Journal of Word Formation. 7 (1). doi:10.21248/zwjw.2023.1.35. ISSN 2367-3877.
  3. ^ Vassiliadou, Hélène; Gerhard-Krait, Francine; Fotiadou, Georgia; Lammert, Marie (2023-04-01). "Pseudo(-) in French and Greek: Categorization and approximation". Zeitschrift für Wortbildung / Journal of Word Formation. 7 (1). doi:10.21248/zwjw.2023.1.34. ISSN 2367-3877.