self

self

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of self in English

English Online Dictionary. What means self‎? What does self mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • (obsolete) selfe
  • (obsolete, rare) silf, silfe

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɛlf/
  • (Southern American English, AAVE, dated) IPA(key): /sɛf/
  • Rhymes: -ɛlf

Pronoun

self

  1. (obsolete) Himself, herself, itself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned).
    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.
  2. The subject of one's own experience of phenomena: perception, emotions, thoughts.
  3. An individual person as the object of the person's own reflective consciousness (plural selves).
  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).

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (immunology) nonself

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Korean: 셀프 (selpeu)
  • Sranan Tongo: srefi

Translations

See also

  • self-
  • person
  • I
  • ego

Verb

self (third-person singular simple present selfs, present participle selfing, simple past and past participle selfed)

  1. (botany) To fertilize by the same individual; to self-fertilize or self-pollinate.
  2. (botany) To fertilize by the same strain; to inbreed.

Antonyms

  • outcross

Adjective

self

  1. Having its own or a single nature or character throughout, as in colour, composition, etc., without addition or change; of the same kind; unmixed.
  2. (obsolete) Same, identical.
  3. (obsolete) Belonging to oneself; own.
  4. (molecular biology, immunology) Of or relating to 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).
    Antonym: nonself

Derived terms

  • selfbow

References

Further reading

  • “self”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
  • “self”, in The Century Dictionary [], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
  • Self in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
  • “self”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

  • FLES, LSFE, elfs

Danish

Alternative forms

  • self.

Adverb

self

  1. (Internet slang) Abbreviation of selvfølgelig (of course).

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic سَلَف (salaf).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɛlf/

Noun

self m

  1. loan

Middle English

Alternative forms

  • salve, silf, sulf

Etymology

Inherited from Old English self, from Proto-West Germanic *selb, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɛlf/, /silf/

Adjective

self

  1. (the) (very/self) same, (the) aforementioned
  2. Intensifies the pronoun or noun it follows or precedes; very
  3. (+genitive) own

Descendants

  • English: self
  • Scots: self, sel

References

  • “self, adj., n., & pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-31.

Pronoun

self

  1. themself, themselves; a reflexive pronoun
  2. that, this

Descendants

  • English: self (obsolete in most pronominal senses)
  • Scots: self, sel
  • Yola: zil, zill

References

  • “self, adj., n., & pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-31.

Noun

self (plural selfs)

  1. (the) same thing, (the) aforementioned thing

References

  • “self, adj., n., & pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-31.

Old English

Alternative forms

  • seolf, sylf

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *selbaz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /self/, [seɫf]

Pronoun

self

  1. self; oneself, personally
    • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
    • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of St. Augustine's Soliloquies

Derived terms

  • selflīċ

Descendants

  • Middle English: self, silf, sulf
    • English: self
    • Scots: self

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

  • selvo

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *selbaz.

Pronoun

self

  1. self

Inflection

Descendants

  • Low German: sulv

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.