psaltery
1114
psal-ter-y /'sɔ:ltəri/ n an ancient musical instrument with
strings stretched over a board, played with the fingers
PSAT /'pi: sæt/ n abbrev. for Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude
Test; an examination that US students take to prepare for the
SAT. It is usually taken during the third year at HIGH SCHOOL,
at about the age of 17. Students who do well in the PSAT may
win a National Merit Scholarship.
PSBR /ˌpi: es bi: 'ɑ:r/ abbrev. for PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING
REQUIREMENT
pse·phol·o·gy /se'fɒlədʒi||si:'fɑ:-/ n [U] the study of how
people vote at elections —gist n
pseud /sju:d|su:d/ n BrE infml derog someone who pretends to
have especially great knowledge or especially good judgment,
especially in matters such as art or literature. British people
tend to dislike this kind of person and would use this word to
show their disapproval and CONTEMPT. —pseudy adj
pseudo- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
pseu·do·nym /'sju:dənɪm||'su:-/ n an invented name used
instead of one's real name, especially by a writer: Charlotte
Brontë wrote under the pseudonym of Currer Bell.
pseu·don·y·mous /sju:'dɒnɪməs||su:'da:-/ adj written or
writing under a pseudonym: the pseudonymous writer of this
newspaper column
pshaw /pʃɔ:||ʃɔ:/ interj a sound used to express annoyance,
disapproval, disbelief, or when you think someone or some-
thing is worthless or wrong
Psi·on /'saɪn||-ɑ:n/ trademark a company that produces vari-
ous types of small computer that people can carry around with
them. Psion is known especially for its electronic ORGAN-
IZERS (=very small computers that store information, such as
dates or names and addresses, to help people organize their
business activities and social life).
psit·ta·co·sis /ˌsɪtə'kəʊsɪs/ n [U] a serious disease of cer-
tain birds, that can also be caught by people
P60 /ˌpi: 'sɪksti/ n in the UK, an official document which is
given to you by your employer each year and which gives
details of the money you have earned and the taxes you
have paid during that year
PSNI, the /ˌpi: es en 'aɪ/ abbrev. for Police Service of Northern
Ireland; the police force that is responsible for Northern
Ireland
pso·ri·a·sis /sə'raɪəsɪs/ n med an illness of the skin which
makes the skin dry, red, and FLAKY
psst /ps/ interj (a sound used for getting a person's attention
while asking for secrecy): Psst! Put your shoes on before he
comes in!
PST /ˌpi: es 'ti:/ abbrev. for PACIFIC STANDARD TIME
PSTN /ˌpi: es ti: 'en/ abbrev. for Public Switched Telephone
Network; the main public telephone system. It is the system
of telephone lines around the world used for voice calls and
for normal connection to the INTERNET → compare ISDN
psych /saɪk/ v
psych sbdy./sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T] slang, especially AmE 1 to
frighten, using only the power of one's mind: The boxer
stared hard at his opponent before the match, trying to psych
him out. 2 to understand by INTUITION: I psyched him out at
once, and knew I couldn't trust him.
psych sbdy. up phr v [T] slang, especially AmE to make (espe-
cially oneself) keen and ready: She'd got herself all psyched
up for the exam, so it was a big letdown when it was post-
poned.
psy·che /'saɪki/ n [C usually sing.] tech or fml the human mind,
soul, or spirit
psyched /saɪkt/ also psyched 'up adj slang excited: He was
pretty psyched about his bike trip in Europe.
psy·che·del·ic /ˌsaɪkə'delɪk/ / adj 1 (of a mind-influencing
drug) causing strange and powerful sensations of happiness,
understanding, hopelessness etc. These drugs became popu-
lar in the 1960s and 70s, and now have a strong association
with this period. → see also HIPPIE 2 (of a form of art)
producing an effect on the brain by means of strong
patterns of noise, colour, lines, moving lights etc, like the
effects produced by psychedelic drugs —ally /kli/ adv
psychiatric 'hospital n a hospital where people with
illnesses of the mind are treated
psy·chi·a·trist /saɪ'kaətrɪst||sə-/ n a doctor trained in
psychiatry: a session on the psychiatrist's couch → compare
PSYCHOLOGIST
psy·chi·a·try /saɪ'kaətri||sə-/ n [U] the study and treat-
ment of diseases of the mind, especially when considered as
a branch of medicine, that deals with mental, emotional, or
behavioural problems —tric /saɪki'ætrɪk/ / adj: psychiatric
treatment/disorders —trically /kli/ adv
psy·chic¹ /'saɪkɪk/ also psy·chi·cal /-kɪkəl/ adj 1 (of a
person) having powers that cannot be scientifically
explained, e.g. the ability to see into the future: How did you
know I was here? You must be psychic! → compare CLAIRVOY-
ANT 2 [no comp.] concerning the soul or the spirits of the
dead: psychic experiences 3 [no comp.] (of an illness) of the
mind as opposed to the body: psychic disorders —ally /kli/
adv
psychic² n a PSYCHIC person, especially one who is believed
to receive messages from the dead (a MEDIUM). Many people
do not believe in psychics and consider them to be strange,
although they are often interested in what psychics say and
do.
psychic re'search n [U] the study of the PARANORMAL,
especially the powers of the mind and also the existence of
such things as GHOSTS, POLTERGEISTS etc. This is a subject
which causes a lot of argument and disagreement. People
are often very interested in the more sensational forms of
the paranormal, such as TELEKINESIS (=moving objects by
the power of the mind alone), and these often appear in
films or are mentioned in newspapers. → see also ESP,
GELLER, URI
psy·cho /'saɪkəʊ/ n infml a PSYCHOPATH
psycho- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
Psycho (1960) a US HORROR film (=a film that is intended to
make you feel frightened) made by Alfred HITCHCOCK. Its
most famous scene is the one in which the character acted by
Janet Leigh is killed with a knife by Norman Bates while she is
in the SHOWER.
psy·cho·ac·tive /ˌsaɪkə'æktɪv/ / adj (of drugs) having an
effect on your mind
psy·cho·an·a·lyse also -lyze AmE /ˌsaɪkəʊ'ænəlaɪz/ v [T]
to treat by psychoanalysis
psy·cho·a·nal·y·sis /ˌsaɪkəʊ-ə'nælɪʃs/ n [U] a way of
treating certain mental DISORDERS (=types of mental illness)
by examination of the patient's memories of past life,
experiences, dreams etc, in an effort to find hidden causes of
the illness. It was developed by Sigmund FREUD.
CULTURAL NOTE
Psychoanalysis is fairly common in the
US, but British people often have a negative view of it and
are not certain that it is effective.
—tic /ˌsaɪkə-ənə'lɪtɪk/ / —tical adj —tically /kli/ adv
psy·cho·an·a·lyst /ˌsaɪkəʊ'ænəl-ɪst/ also analyst AmE —
n a person who is trained in psychoanalysis. The STEREOTYPE
of a psychoanalyst is of a very serious, unemotional man
who sounds German, who sits next to the person being
treated (who lies on a COUCH), and writes things in a
NOTEBOOK but says very little.
psy·cho·bab·ble /'saɪkəʊˌbæbl/ n [U] infml the language
that sounds scientific but is often annoying, that some
people use when talking about their emotional problems
psy·cho·bi·ol·o·gy /ˌsaɪkəʊbaɪ'ɒlədi||-'ɑ:l-/ n the study
of the body in relation to the mind: His speciality is the
psychobiology of manic-depressives.
psy·cho·dra·ma /'saɪkəʊˌdrɑ:mə||-ˌdræmə, -ˌdræmə/ n
the playing of ROLES in events from a person's life as a
method in PSYCHOTHERAPY or education
psy·cho·ki·ne·sis /ˌsaɪkəʊkɪ'ni:sɪs||-kɪ'ni:-/ n [U] the
moving of solid objects by the power of the mind alone.
There is very little scientific proof for psychokinesis and
most people do not believe in it. However, it causes great
interest, and people like to watch shows which supposedly
prove that it exists. → see also GELLER, Uri —tic /-'netɪk/
adj —tically /kli/ adv
psy·cho·log·i·cal /ˌsaɪkə'lɒdʒɪkəl||-'lɑ:-/ adj 1 of or con-
nected with the way that the mind works: a psychological
play about a mother's power over her son's mind | There could