psycho
UK[ˈsaɪ.kəʊ]US[ˈsaɪ.koʊ]
n
A person who is mentally unstable, aggressive, and frightening, especially one who is considered to be insane or psychotic.
adj
Relating to or characterized by psychosis; psychotic.
Morpheme Breakdown
psych
o
psych
mind, spirit
o
noun-forming suffix
Etymology
The word "psycho" is a modern clipping of the full term "psychopath" or "psychotic", both of which derive from the ancient Greek root psychē, meaning "soul, mind, or spirit". This root, possibly from the Proto-Indo-European base bhes- meaning "to breathe", originally referred to the animating breath of life. In the specialized vocabulary of psychology and psychiatry, the root evolved to denote the mental faculties. The clipped form "psycho" emerged in 20th-century slang, shifting from the abstract concept of the mind to a stark, informal label for a dangerously disturbed individual, thus completing a journey from "breath of life" to a term for a severe disorder of the mind.
Analysis
Structure: psych (mind, spirit) + o (noun-forming suffix)
- psych: From Greek psychē (ψυχή), meaning "breath, spirit, soul, mind". In this word, it functions as the root conveying the concept of the mind.
- o: A common connecting vowel used in English to form nouns from Greek-derived roots, often implying a person associated with the root concept.
Examples
The film's villain is a dangerous psycho who terrorizes the neighborhood.
He was diagnosed with a psycho disorder after the incident.
She warned them not to go near the old house because a psycho was rumored to live there.