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definitions

psych

1

or psyche

[ sahyk ]
/ saɪk /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR psych ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object) Informal.

to intimidate or frighten psychologically, or make nervous (often followed by out): to psych out the competition.
to prepare psychologically to be in the right frame of mind or to give one's best (often followed by up): to psych oneself up for an interview.
to figure out psychologically; decipher (often followed by out): to psych out a problem.

RELATED WORDS

medicine, attitude, therapy, psyche, mentality, ethos, urge, abet, rouse, arouse, inspire, motivate, exhort, agitate, inflame, encourage, trigger, prompt, provoke, spur

Nearby words

  1. pss,
  2. psst,
  3. pst,
  4. pstn,
  5. psv,
  6. psych out,
  7. psych up,
  8. psych-,
  9. psych-out,
  10. psych.

Origin of psych

1
1915–20 in earlier sense “to subject to psychoanalysis”; originally a shortening of psychoanalyze; in later use (especially indefs 1, 2) perhaps independent use of psych-

Definition for psych (2 of 4)

psych

2
[ sahyk ]
/ saɪk /

noun Informal.

psychology, especially as a course or field of study: She took two semesters of psych in college.

Origin of psych

2
First recorded in 1890–95; by shortening

Definition for psych (3 of 4)

psych-

variant of psycho- before some vowels: psychasthenia.

Definition for psych (4 of 4)

psych.

psychological.
psychologist.
psychology.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for psych

British Dictionary definitions for psych

psych

psyche

/ (saɪk) /

verb

(tr) informal to psychoanalyseSee also psych out, psych up

Word Origin for psych

C20: shortened from psychoanalyse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for psych

psych

as a noun, short for psychology in various senses (e.g. as an academic study, in student slang by 1895). As a verb, first attested 1917 as "to subject to psychoanalysis," short for psychoanalyze. From 1934 as "to outsmart" (also psych out); from 1963 as "to unnerve." However to psych (oneself) up is from 1972; to be psyched up is attested from 1968.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for psych

psych-

pref.

Variant ofpsycho-
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.