psycho

¹

[ sahy-koh ]

noun

, plural psy·chos.

1. a psychopathic or psychotic person.
2. a crazy or mentally unstable person.

adjective

1. psychopathic or psychotic.
2. crazy; mentally unstable.

psycho-

²

1. a combining form representing psyche ( psychological ) and psychological ( psychoanalysis ) in compound words.

psycho-

¹

combining_form

1. indicating the mind or psychological or mental processes

   psychogenesis

   psychology

   psychosomatic

psycho

²

/ ˈsaɪkəʊ /

noun

1. an informal and offensive word for psychopath or psychopathic See psychopath

Word History and Origins

Origin of psycho¹

First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening

Origin of psycho²

< Greek, combining form of psȳchḗ breath, spirit, soul, mind; akin to psȳ́chein to blow ( psykter )

Word History and Origins

Origin of psycho¹

from Greek psukhē spirit, breath

Example Sentences

He also told the jury he was lying when he called his wife, Ms Batool, a “psycho” earlier in the trial.

From BBC

He regards himself as an artist, has lots of money, is well-connected in power circles and is withal the very model of a modern fictional psycho killer.

From Los Angeles Times

But really, there is nothing as tedious as a psycho killer, except when it’s a song by the Talking Heads.

From Los Angeles Times

“She’s a psycho and is obsessed with cutting clothes.”

From BBC

“She’s a psycho. That is her thing.”

From BBC

Words That Use psycho-

What does psycho- mean?

Psycho– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning either “psyche” or “psychological.” Psyche denotes “the human soul, spirit, or mind,” while psychological is a related yet distinct term that means “pertaining to psychology, the science of the mind or of mental states.” Psycho– is often used in medical and technical terms, especially in psychology.

Psycho– comes from Greek psȳchḗ, meaning “breath, spirit, soul, mind.” For more on the meaning of this word in Ancient Greek mythology, read our entry for psyche. The word psyche is at the root of the term psychedelic, which refers to the effect of hallucinogenic drugs.

What are variants of psycho-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, psycho– becomes psych–, as in psychiatry. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on psych-.

Examples of psycho-

An example of a word you may have encountered that features psycho– is psychopathy, “a mental disorder in which an individual manifests amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc.”

While psycho– means “psyche,” the –pathy portion of the word refers to “disease,” from Greek pátheia, meaning “suffering.” Psychopathy literally means “disease of the psyche (mind).”

What are some words that use the combining form psycho-?

• psychoactive
• psychoanalyze
• psychoanalysis (using the equivalent form of psycho– in German)
• psychoanalytic
• psychobabble
• psychobiography
• psychobiology
• psychochemistry
• psychodiagnosis (using the equivalent form of psycho– in Latin)
• psychodrama
• psychodynamic
• psychoendocrinology
• psychogenesis (using the equivalent form of psycho– in Latin)
• psychograph
• psychohistory
• psychokinesis
• psycholinguistics
• psychology (using the equivalent form of psycho– in Latin)
• psychomachia (using the equivalent form of psycho– in Latin)
• psychomancy
• psychometrics
• psychomotor
• psychoneuroimmunology
• psychoneurotic
• psychopharmacology
• psychopomp (using the equivalent form of psycho– in Greek)
• psychosexual
• psychosocial
• psychotherapy
• psychotoxic

What are some other forms that psycho– may be commonly confused with?

• pseudo-
• psychro-
• py-
• pyro-

Break it down!

The combining form –metrics means “the science of measuring.” With this in mind, what is the field of psychometrics?