1.
[syn: imposter, impostor, pretender, fake, faker, fraud, sham, shammer, pseudo, pseud, role player]
ADJECTIVE (1)
1. (often used in combination) not genuine but having the appearance of;
- Example: "a pseudo esthete"
- Example: "pseudoclassic"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Pseudo- \Pseu"do-\ [Gr. pseydh`s lying, false, akin to psey`dein
to belie; cf. psydro`s lying, psy`qos a lie.]
A combining form or prefix signifying false, counterfeit,
pretended, spurious; as, pseudo-apostle, a false apostle;
pseudo-clergy, false or spurious clergy; pseudo-episcopacy,
pseudo-form, pseudo-martyr, pseudo-philosopher. Also used
adjectively.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
pseudo
adj 1: (often used in combination) not genuine but having the
appearance of; "a pseudo esthete"; "pseudoclassic"
n 1: a person who makes deceitful pretenses [syn: imposter,
impostor, pretender, fake, faker, fraud, sham,
shammer, pseudo, pseud, role player]
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 January 2023):
pseudo
/soo'doh/ (Usenet) Pseudonym.
1. An electronic-mail or Usenet persona adopted by a human
for amusement value or as a means of avoiding negative
repercussions of one's net.behaviour; a "nom de Usenet",
often associated with forged postings designed to conceal
message origins. Perhaps the best-known and funniest hoax of
this type is BIFF.
2. Notionally, a flamage-generating AI program simulating
a Usenet user. Many flamers have been accused of actually
being such entities, despite the fact that no AI program of
the required sophistication yet exists. However, in 1989
there was a famous series of forged postings that used a
phrase-frequency-based travesty generator to simulate the
styles of several well-known flamers; it was based on large
samples of their back postings (compare Dissociated Press).
A significant number of people were fooled by the forgeries,
and the debate over their authenticity was settled only when
the perpetrator came forward to publicly admit the hoax.
[Jargon File]
(1995-03-13)
The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
pseudo
/soo'doh/, n.
[Usenet: truncation of ‘pseudonym’]
1. An electronic-mail or Usenet persona adopted by a human for amusement
value or as a means of avoiding negative repercussions of one's
net.behavior; a ‘nom de Usenet’, often associated with forged postings
designed to conceal message origins. Perhaps the best-known and funniest
hoax of this type is B1FF. See also tentacle.
2. Notionally, a flamage-generating AI program simulating a Usenet user.
Many flamers have been accused of actually being such entities, despite the
fact that no AI program of the required sophistication yet exists. However,
in 1989 there was a famous series of forged postings that used a
phrase-frequency-based travesty generator to simulate the styles of several
well-known flamers; it was based on large samples of their back postings
(compare Dissociated Press). A significant number of people were fooled
by the forgeries, and the debate over their authenticity was settled only
when the perpetrator came forward to publicly admit the hoax.