I am subscribed to the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day newsletter. Every evening, I get an email with a new word. Sometimes it’s an easy word that I had already heard before and even used. Many other times, it’s an obscure word but most of the times, the meaning is easy to understand. Today, the word “Pseudorandom” was delivered to my inbox. At first glance, it seemed unexpected but easy to understand.  It was after reading the derivatives, their definition, and the examples that always follow the definition, when things got a little too meta. pseudoˈrandomness n. the property of being pseudorandom. 1960   Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 242 570   By various devices, such as superimposing pseudorandomness on pseudorandomness, the approach to true randomness may be made even closer. 1995   New Scientist 22 July 41/2   This problem of repeatability has led to the development of deterministic sources of ‘pseudorandomness’: mathematical recipes that give repeatable results virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. It was after an intense 10 minute discussion with the sexiest Smarty Pants in the world, that I finally got it. Thought it would be fun to share, so here it is.
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I am subscribed to the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day newsletter. Every evening, I get an email with a new word. Sometimes it’s an easy word that I had already heard before and even used. Many other times, it’s an obscure word but most of the times, the meaning is easy to understand.

Today, the word “Pseudorandom” was delivered to my inbox. At first glance, it seemed unexpected but easy to understand. 

It was after reading the derivatives, their definition, and the examples that always follow the definition, when things got a little too meta.

pseudoˈrandomness n. the property of being pseudorandom.

1960   Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 242 570   By various devices, such as superimposing pseudorandomness on pseudorandomness, the approach to true randomness may be made even closer.
1995   New Scientist 22 July 41/2   This problem of repeatability has led to the development of deterministic sources of ‘pseudorandomness’: mathematical recipes that give repeatable results virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.


It was after an intense 10 minute discussion with the sexiest Smarty Pants in the world, that I finally got it. Thought it would be fun to share, so here it is.

Source: oed.com

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  1. petitesam posted this