ensimismarse

Spanish

FWOTD – 1 July 2019

Etymology

en (“in”) +‎ sí mismo (“oneself”) +‎ -ar (verbal suffix) +‎ se (reflexive pronoun)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ensimisˈmaɾse/ [ẽn.si.mizˈmaɾ.se]

Verb

1. (reflexive) to become lost in thought

   Synonym: abstraerse

   • 2011 March 27, “Desalojo aprobado por Dios”, in Listín Diario‎^[1]:

     " […] Así es él cuando algo le preocupa, se ensimisma, se sustrae de la realidad, pierde hasta la noción del tiempo y el espacio. Ni siquiera me miró…"

     " […] That's what he's like when something worries him, he gets lost in thought, he removes himself from reality, he even loses track of time and space. He didn't even look at me…"

2. (reflexive) to become engrossed, to lose oneself
3. (Bolivia, Honduras, reflexive) to become conceited

   Synonym: envanecerse

Derived terms

• ensimismado
• ensimismamiento

Further reading

• “ensimismarse”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28