† psalidodectadj.

Etymology: < ancient Greek ψαλιδ-, ψαλίς U-shaped cutting tool or shears ( < Byzantine Greek ψαλόν ring of a horse's headstall (see note) + ancient Greek -ίς -id suffix²) + δήκτης biter < an ablaut variant (lengthened grade) of the stem of δάκνειν to bite (the same Indo-European base as tongs n.) + -της, suffix forming agent nouns.Byzantine Greek ψαλόν is apparently first attested later than ancient Greek ψαλίς, but compare Mycenaean Greek pa-sa-ro, possibly ‘buckle, ring of a belt’, although the sense is disputed. N.E.D. (1909) gives the pronunciation as (ps-, sæ·lidode:kt) /ˈ(p)sælɪdəʊˌdɛkt/.