noun, plural selves.
- a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality: one’s own self.
- a person’s nature, character, etc.: his better self.
- personal interest.
- Philosophy.
- the ego; that which knows, remembers, desires, suffers, etc., as contrasted with that known, remembered, etc.
- the uniting principle, as a soul, underlying all subjective experience.
adjective
- being the same throughout, as a color; uniform.
- being of one piece with or the same material as the rest: drapes with a self lining.
- Immunology. the natural constituents of the body, which are normally not subject to attack by components of the immune system (contrasted with nonself).
- Obsolete. same.
pronoun, plural selves.
- myself, himself, herself, etc.: to make a check payable to self.
verb (used with or without object)
- to self-pollinate.
- 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).
noun plural selves (sɛlvz)
- the distinct individuality or identity of a person or thing
- a person’s usual or typical bodily make-up or personal characteristicsshe looked her old self again
- good self or good selves rare a polite way of referring to or addressing a person (or persons), used following your, his, her, or their
- one’s own welfare or interestshe only thinks of self
- an individual’s consciousness of his own identity or being
- the self philosophy that which is essential to an individual, esp the mind or soul in Cartesian metaphysics; the ego
- a bird, animal, etc, that is a single colour throughout, esp a self-coloured pigeon
pronoun
- not standard myself, yourself, etcseats for self and wife
adjective
- of the same colour or materiala dress with a self belt See also self-coloured
- obsolete the same
combining form
- of oneself or itselfself-defence; self-rule
- by, to, in, due to, for, or from the selfself-employed; self-inflicted; self-respect
- automatic or automaticallyself-propelled
pron.Old English self, seolf, sylf “one’s own person, -self; own, same,” from Proto-Germanic *selbaz (cf. Old Norse sjalfr, Old Frisian self, Dutch zelf, Old High German selb, German selb, selbst, Gothic silba), Proto-Germanic *selbaz “self,” from PIE *sel-bho-, suffixed form of root *s(w)e-, pronoun of the third person and reflexive (referring back to the subject of a sentence), also used in forms denoting the speaker’s social group, “(we our-)selves” (see idiom). Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth. [Alan Watts] Its use in compounds to form reflective pronouns grew out of independent use in Old English. As a noun from early 14c. word forming element indicating “oneself,” also “automatic,” from Old English use of self (pron.) in compounds, e.g. selfbana “suicide,” selflice “self-love, pride, vanity, egotism,” selfwill “free will.” n. pl. selves (sĕlz)
- The total, essential, or particular being of a person; the individual.
- One’s consciousness of one’s own being or identity; the ego.
- That which the immune system identifies as belonging to the body.