psych

See also: psych-

English

Alternative forms

(verb, interjection) sike

Etymology

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “"Clipping" explains the noun and adjective senses well enough, but not the verbal ones. The interjection might even be a totally different word.”

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /saɪk/
Audio (Canada): (file)
Rhymes: -aɪk
Homophones: sike, cyc

Noun

psych (countable and uncountable, plural psychs)

Psychology or psychiatry.
I took psych my freshman year in university.
A psychologist; a psychiatrist.
- 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 476:
  She had attended a conference of psychs at which he had presided and they had taken a fancy to each other.

Adjective

psych (comparative more psych, superlative most psych)

(informal) Psychedelic.
curtains with psych colors

a psych band; a psych album. Psych-rock and psych-folk music.
(informal) Psychiatric.
involuntarily committed to the psych ward

Verb

psych (third-person singular simple present psychs, present participle psyching, simple past and past participle psyched)

(transitive, reflexive) To put (someone) into a required psychological frame of mind (also psych up).
Hip hop always gets me psyched, so I put it on before a race.
- 1979 August 18, Maida Tilchen, Nancy Vogl, Debbie Lempke, Susan Shanbaum, Bonnie Lockhart, “The Diversity of Women's Music”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 5, page 913:
  On the stage, what we have to try to have shine through is our love for each other. Sometimes it's difficult, we have to try to psych ourselves out of the places we're at and go to a higher spiritual plane.
(transitive) To intimidate (someone) emotionally or using psychology (also psych out).
(transitive, informal) To treat (someone) using psychoanalysis.

Translations

to put into required frame of mind

Finnish: psyykata (fi)

to intimidate with psychology

Finnish: kiusata henkisesti

to treat with psychoanalysis

Finnish: analysoida (fi), hoitaa psykoanalyysilla

Interjection

psych

(slang) Indicating that one's preceding statement was false and that one has successfully fooled one's interlocutor.
Synonym: sike

Here, have fifty dollars. Psych! That was two dollars!

I broke up with my ex girl. Here's her number. Psych! That's the wrong number!
(dated, slang) An interjection of surprised happiness.
Psych! I just found my missing bracelet!

Derived terms

Related terms