Etymograph

English

pseudothumb

From pseudo- + thumb.

Formed from pseudo- + thumb

Ancient Greek ψεύδω ‘to lie’

Ancient Greek ψευδής ‘false, lying’

English pseudo-

Proto-Indo-European *tūm- ‘to grow’

Proto-Germanic *þūmô

Proto-West Germanic *þūmō

Old English þūma

Middle English thombe

English thumb

Today it means

noun A digit on a vertebrate that resembles but is not a thumb.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pseudothumb”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / pseudothumb