Pseudonym

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈs(j)uː.də(ʊ).nɪm/

Definitions

1. A fictitious name assumed by an author, artist, or other person instead of their real name
2. An assumed fictional identity used by a writer, performer, or public figure in place of their actual name
3. A false identity or alternate name deliberately adopted by someone to conceal their real identity

Etymology: The Greek roots are plain: "pseudḗs" meant "false" and "ónoma" (in its dialectal form "ónuma") meant "name", so the ancient adjective "pseudṓnumos" described someone who bore a false name. Latin borrowed it as "pseudonymus," and English took the word in the early 19th century. The noun "pseudonym" is a back-formation: English speakers treated the adjective "pseudonymous" as if it had been built from a shorter base, and so the noun was created by trimming the ending. The alternative story, that the noun was borrowed from a French coinage of 1834, is also possible, and the two routes probably reinforced each other.

Synonyms: alias, pen name, nom de plume, stage name, nickname

Antonyms: real name, true name