Pseudonymised

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Replaced with a made-up name so that the real identity of a person or record stays hidden
2. Disguised under a fictitious name or code so that the true identity cannot be easily traced
3. Having real names swapped for invented labels to protect privacy in a published or stored record

Etymology: "Pseudonymised" is the past tense and past participle of "pseudonymise", so its story is really the story of the verb it comes from. That verb is built from "pseudonym", a word formed in Greek from "pseudo-", meaning false, and "onoma", meaning name, giving a sense of "false name". The "-ise" ending, used in British spelling, turns the noun into a verb meaning to give someone or something a false name, or to publish under one. The "-ise" suffix does most of the work in turning the noun into an action. Writers adopt pseudonyms to hide their identity, so a verb for doing this followed naturally once the noun was in use. The past form "pseudonymised" simply marks an action that has already been done: a writer whose work was published under an invented name, for example.

Synonyms: anonymised, anonymized

Antonyms: identified