Etymology

psychic

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Today it means: A person who possesses, or appears to possess, extrasensory abilities such as clairvoyance, precognition and telepathy, as well as potentially interact externally using their minds or souls through telekinesis or teleportation, or who appears to be susceptible to paranormal or supernatural influences. Full definition →

Ancient Greek ψυχικός
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromψυχή“soul, mind, psyche”
  2. Ancient Greek · derived fromψυχικός“relative to the soul, spirit, mind”
  3. English todaypsychic

From Ancient Greek ψυχικός (psukhikós, “relative to the soul, spirit, mind”). Earlier referred to as "psychical"; or from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul, mind, psyche”). First appeared (as substantive) 1871 and first records 1895.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekψυχή all →

psychologypsychedelicpsychepsychopathpolypsychismpsychonarrationpsychonarrativepsychophorpsychosophy

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.