From the Ancient Greek ÏεÏ
Î´Î®Ï (pseudá¸s, âfalse, lyingâ) and -ÏÏÎ½Î¿Ï (-phÅnos, âwith respect to language or soundâ).
1. A pretentious term for a word which is pronounced similarly to another word without being perfect homophones.
2. An instrument used to reverse the apparent directions of sounds heard.
"In Received Pronunciation, the words 'or' and 'awe' are homophones; however, in most American accents they are merely pseudophones."