pseudo-operation
/ˈs(j)uːdə(ʊ)ɒpəˌreɪʃn/ /ˌs(j)uːdə(ʊ)ɒpəˈreɪʃn/noun
1Something that resembles an operation but is not one in the strict or usual sense.
2 Computing. = pseudo-instruction.
Origin
1940s; earliest use found in Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. From pseudo- + operation.