Where does “pseudocode” come from?

Pseudocode comes from English pseudo- combined with code, which derives from French code, Latin caudex meaning tree trunk, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European gʷet- meaning to press or squeeze.

pseudocode (English): A description of a computer programming algorithm...

Definitions

  1. A description of a computer programming algorithm...

Ancestry of “pseudocode”, step by step

pseudocode traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch code

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchcodebook or body of laws, code of laws, lawbook;...
2EnglishcodeA short symbol, often with little relation to the...
3Middle EnglishcodeAny kind of plant gum; a gummy or resinous...
4Old Englishcoddbag; sack; husk
5Proto-Germanickuddôbag; pod; sack; purse
6Proto-Indo-Europeangewt-sack; pouch; pouch, sack
7Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

via German Code

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanCodecode
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū-