SELF

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

self

Alternative forms

• selfe, silf, silfe (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English self, silf, sulf, from Old English self, seolf, sylf, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz. Cognates include Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰 (silba), German selbst and Dutch zelf.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛlf/
• (Southern US, African-American Vernacular, dated) IPA^(key): /sɛf/^[1]
• ||

• Rhymes: -ɛlf

Pronoun

self (selves)

1. (obsolete or rare) Himself, herself, itself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned). quotations ▼

This argument was put forward by the defendant self.

2. (commercial or humorous) Myself.

I made out a cheque, payable to self, which cheered me up somewhat.

Noun

self (plural selves or selfs)

1. One individual's personality, character, demeanor, or disposition. quotations ▼
2. The subject of one's own experience of phenomena: perception, emotions, thoughts. quotations ▼
3. An individual person as the object of the person's own reflective consciousness (plural selves). quotations ▼
4. Self-interest or personal advantage.
5. Identity or personality.
6. (botany) A seedling produced by self-pollination (plural selfs).
7. (botany) A flower having its colour uniform as opposed to variegated.
8. (molecular biology, immunology) Any molecule, cell, or tissue of an organism's own (belonging to the self), as opposed to a foreign (nonself) molecule, cell, or tissue (for example, infective, allogenic, or xenogenic). quotations ▼

Synonyms

• cyberself
• herself
• himself
• itself
• myself
• non-self
• oneself
• one's self
• ourselves
• technoself
• themselves
• thyself
• yourself
• yourselves

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Antonyms

• (immunology) nonself

Derived terms

• note to self
• not-self
• self-abuse
• self-care
• self-centered
• self-contained
• selfdom
• selfhood
• self-hosted
• selfie
• selfish
• selfless
• selflike
• selfly
• selfness