Etymology

pseudorandom

P3S1E1U1D2O1R1A1N1D2O1M3

Today it means: Of a sequence of numbers, such that it has all the properties of a random sequence following some probability distribution (except true randomness), but is actually generated using a deterministic algorithm. Full definition →

English random ← Middle English randoun ← Old French randon
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The story

  1. Ancient Greekψεύδω (pseúdō)
  2. Ancient Greekψευδής (pseudḗs)
  3. Middle Englishpseudo-
  4. Englishpseudo-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₃er-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₃reyH-
  7. Proto-Germanic*rinnaną
  8. Proto-West Germanic*rinnan
  9. Frankish*randij
  10. Old Frenchrandir
  11. Old Frenchrandon
  12. Middle Englishrandoun
  13. Englishrandon
  14. Englishrandom
  15. English todaypseudorandom

From pseudo- + random.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.