pseudo-loan

noun

A term which appears to be (and may be thought of by speakers as) a loanword from another language, even being formed from elements found in that language, but which does not exist as a word in that language with the same meaning.

Similar
pseudo-borrowingfalse loanfalse borrowing
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Meanings

nounpseudo-loan (plural pseudo-loans)

plural pseudo-loans · alternative pseudoloan

  1. A term which appears to be (and may be thought of by speakers as) a loanword from another language, even being formed from elements found in that language, but which does not exist as a word in that language with the same meaning.

    Synonyms: pseudo-borrowing, false loan, false borrowing

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA term which appears to be (and may be thought of by speakers as) a loanword from another language, even being formed from elements found in that language, but which does not exist as a word in that language with the same meaning.

Similar
pseudo-borrowingfalse loanfalse borrowing
Also see
pseudo-borrowing

Origin

From pseudo- + loan.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pseudo-loan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudo-loan

MLA

“pseudo-loan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudo-loan. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pseudo-loan,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudo-loan.

Source: pseudo-loan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.