myself
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
- myselfe (archaic)
Etymology [edit]
From me (pronoun) + self (pronoun). Later partly reinterpreted as my + self (noun).
Pronunciation [edit]
Pronoun [edit]
myself (reflexive case of I)
- (reflexive) Me, as direct or indirect object the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition, when the speaker is also the subject. [from 9th c.]
- I taught myself.
- Personally, for my part; used in apposition to I, sometimes for simple emphasis and sometimes with implicit exclusion of any others performing the activity described. [from 10th c.]
- Me (as the object of a verb or preposition). [from 10th c.]
- 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 36:
- Later I realized that the ignorant man that day was not the chief but myself.
- 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 36:
- (archaic) I (as the subject of a verb). [from 14th c.]
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II. 8:
- And my selfe have knowen a Gentleman, a chiefe officer of our crowne, that by right and hope of succession (had he lived unto it) was to inherit above fifty thousand crownes a yeere good land [...].
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II. 8:
Related terms [edit]
Usage notes [edit]
- Use where I could be used is mostly poetic or archaic, except with a coordinating conjunction, such as and.
- Garner's Modern American Usage (2009) reports opposition to the intensifier use, especially where I could be used.
- AP Stylebook Online (2010) reports opposition to the intensifier use as reflexive pronouns (myself) should not be used instead of objective pronouns (me).
Translations [edit]
me, reflexive case of I
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in apposition with I; personally
See also [edit]
English personal pronouns
| Number | Person | Gender | Subject | Objective | Reflexive | Possessive adjective | Possessive pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | First | — | I | me | myself | my | mine |
| Second | — | you, thou (archaic) |
you, thee (archaic) |
yourself, thyself (archaic) theeself (archaic) |
your, thy (archaic) |
yours, thine (archaic) |
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| Third | Masculine | he | him | himself | his | ||
| Feminine | she | her | herself | her | hers | ||
| Neuter | it | itself | its | its (rare) | |||
| Gender-neutral | they | them | themself | their | theirs | ||
| Plural | First | — | we | us | ourselves | our | ours |
| Second | — | you, ye (archaic) |
you | yourselves | your | yours | |
| Third | — | they | them | themselves | their | theirs | |
| Indefinite | Third | — | one | oneself | one's | — | |
Noun [edit]
myself (plural ourselves)
- that being which is oneself
- I am not myself today.
Translations [edit]
that being which is oneself
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Statistics [edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: certain · sent · keep · #271: myself · morning · money · door