self

¹

[self]

noun

plural

selves 

1. a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality.

   one's own self.

2. a person's nature, character, etc..

   his better self.

3. personal interest.

4. Philosophy.

   1. the ego; that which knows, remembers, desires, suffers, etc., as contrasted with that known, remembered, etc.

   2. the uniting principle, as a soul, underlying all subjective experience.

adjective

1. being the same throughout, as a color; uniform.

2. being of one piece with or the same material as the rest.

   drapes with a self lining.

3. Immunology.,  the natural constituents of the body, which are normally not subject to attack by components of the immune system (nonself ).

4. Obsolete.,  same.

pronoun

plural

selves 

1. myself, himself, herself, etc..

   to make a check payable to self.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to self-pollinate.

self-

²

1. a combining form of self and variously used with the meanings “of the self ” (self-analysis ) and “by oneself or itself ” (self-appointed ); and with the meanings “to, with, toward, for, on, in oneself ” (self-complacent ), “inherent in oneself or itself ” (self-explanatory ), “independent” (self-government ), and “automatic” (self-operating ).

self

¹

/ sɛlf /

noun

1. the distinct individuality or identity of a person or thing

2. a person's usual or typical bodily make-up or personal characteristics

   she looked her old self again

3. rare,  a polite way of referring to or addressing a person (or persons), used following your, his, her, or their

4. one's own welfare or interests

   he only thinks of self

5. an individual's consciousness of his own identity or being

6. philosophy that which is essential to an individual, esp the mind or soul in Cartesian metaphysics; the ego

7. a bird, animal, etc, that is a single colour throughout, esp a self-coloured pigeon

pronoun

1. not_standard,  myself, yourself, etc

   seats for self and wife

adjective

1. of the same colour or material See also self-coloured

   a dress with a self belt

2. obsolete,  the same

self-

²

combining form

1. of oneself or itself

   self-defence

   self-rule

2. by, to, in, due to, for, or from the self

   self-employed

   self-inflicted

   self-respect

3. automatic or automatically

   self-propelled

Word History and Origins

Origin of self¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English self, selfa; cognate with Dutch zelf, German selb-, Old Norse sjalfr, Gothic silba; akin to Irish féin, Latin suī, sē

Word History and Origins

Origin of self¹

Old English seolf; related to Old Norse sjālfr, Gothic silba, Old High German selb

Example Sentences

She says she still struggles to believe she really has a child and wishes she could "take this moment and hand it to my 15-year-old self, sitting in that GP surgery".

Read more on BBC

But these young people were really watching each other bloom as they tried on different selves.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s better to be there as your most authentic, willing self.

Read more on MarketWatch

There were more than 34 rows of information across three columns, and I cannot imagine my 90-year-old self having the patience or ability to sort through it.

Read more on MarketWatch

By leaving our bubbles, we widen our perspectives and, for at least a moment, relinquish what David Foster Wallace once called our “natural, hard-wired default-setting . . . to see and interpret everything through this lens of self.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• character 
• ego 
• identity 
• individuality 
• myself 
• person 
• personality 

When To Use

What does self- mean?

Self- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “self,” in a variety of senses. Often, it is used to mean "of the self," "independent," or "automatic." In many instances, it is separated from the second element with a hyphen, as in self-government. It is often used in a variety of everyday and technical terms.Self- comes from Old English self, meaning “self.”