Pseudonym

"Aliases" redirects here. For other uses, see Alias (disambiguation). "Pseud." redirects here. For the column in Private Eye, see List of regular mini-sections in Private Eye § Pseuds Corner. "Allonym" redirects here. For a definition of that term, see the Wiktionary entry allonym.
William Sydney Porter, who went by the pen name O. Henry or Olivier Henry, in 1909

A pseudonym (/ˈsjuːdənɪm/; from Ancient Greek ψευδώνυμος (pseudṓnumos) 'lit. falsely named') or alias (/ˈeɪli.əs/) is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning (orthonym).[1][2] This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's own. Many pseudonym holders use them because they wish to remain anonymous and maintain privacy, though this may be difficult to achieve as a result of legal issues.[3]

  1. ^ Room (2010, 3).
  2. ^ "pseudonym". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  3. ^ du Pont, George F. (2001) The Criminalization of True Anonymity in Cyberspace Archived 21 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine 7 Mich. Telecomm. Tech. L. Rev.