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self

Pronunciation: /sɛlf/
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Definition of self

noun (plural selves /sɛlvz/)

  • a person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action:our alienation from our true selves guilt can be turned against the self [mass noun]:language is an aspect of a person’s sense of self
  • (one's self) one’s particular nature or personality; the qualities that make one individual or unique:by the end of the round he was back to his old self Paula seemed to be her usual cheerful self
  • [mass noun] one’s own interests or pleasure:to love in an unpossessive way implies the total surrender of self

pronoun (plural selves /sɛlvz/)

  • oneself, in particular:
  • (with adjective one's self) used ironically to refer to oneself or someone else:an article with a picture of my good self
  • used on counterfoils, cheques, and other papers to refer to the holder or person who has signed: the uppermost counterfoil was marked ‘Self’

adjective

[attributive]
  • (of a trimming or cover) of the same material and colour as the rest of the item:a button-through style with self belt

verb

[with object] chiefly Botany
  • self-pollinate; self-fertilize: (as noun selfing)the flowers never open and pollination is normally by selfing
  • (usually as adjective selfed) Genetics cause (an animal or plant) to breed with or fertilize one of the same hybrid origin or strain:progeny were derived from selfed crosses

Origin:

Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zelf and German selbe. Early use was emphatic, expressing the sense '(I) myself', '(he) himself', etc. The verb dates from the early 20th century

self in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of self in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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