Prefix · mind / psychology
Signals relation to the mind or psychology: psychology, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Psycho- comes from Greek "psyche" (soul, mind) and signals a relation to the mind, mental processes, or psychology: psychology = the study of the mind and behaviour; psychotherapy = treatment of mental health problems; psychoanalysis = analysis of unconscious mental processes; psychosomatic = originating in the mind but manifesting in the body.
In informal English, "psycho" is used (pejoratively) to describe someone with erratic or disturbing behaviour. However, in scientific and clinical contexts the prefix always retains its technical meaning: psychosis, psychopathy, psycholinguistics, psychoactive. Important: in English the prefix is "psycho-," not "psico-" as in Spanish.
Attaches to scientific and clinical nouns. Spanish equivalent is "psico-":
Pronunciation: /ˈsaɪkəʊ/. The initial "p" is silent in English. Spanish uses "psico-" with the "p" optionally silent depending on dialect.
psycho-/ˈsaɪkəʊ/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
In English, the "p" in psycho- is always silent: psychology = /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/, psychopath = /ˈsaɪkəpæθ/, psychosis = /saɪˈkəʊsɪs/. This is a key difference from Spanish, where the "p" may be pronounced.
Psychosomatic symptoms are physically real, not faked. The mind (psyche) influences the body (soma): stress can cause real stomach ulcers, real headaches, real skin conditions. Calling something psychosomatic does not mean it is imaginary.
A trick to remember it
Psycho- = "psico-" in Spanish: psychology = psicología, psychotherapy = psicoterapia, psychoanalysis = psicoanálisis. The only difference is spelling. Critical: the initial "p" in psycho- is SILENT in English — it is pronounced /ˈsaɪkəʊ/, not /ˈpsaɪkəʊ/.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"___ drugs affect the brain and can alter perception, mood, consciousness, or behaviour significantly."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What does "psychosomatic" actually mean in medicine?
The prefix psycho- signals relation to the mind or psychology: psychology, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis. In Spanish it usually maps to psico-.
The prefix psycho- is pronounced /ˈsaɪkəʊ/. For example, "psychology".
"logy" becomes "psychology". It is a typical example of the psycho- prefix.
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