alter ego

[ awl-ter ee-goh, eg-oh, al- ]
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noun
  1. a second self; a perfect substitute or deputy: His adviser acts as his alter ego during his absence.

  2. an inseparable friend.

  1. another aspect of one's self.

Origin of alter ego

1
1530–40; <Latin (Cicero), probably translation of Greek állos egṓ, héteros egṓ another I

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British Dictionary definitions for alter ego

alter ego

/ (ˈæltər ˈiːɡəʊ, ˈɛɡəʊ) /


noun
  1. a second self

  2. a very close and intimate friend

Origin of alter ego

1
Latin: other self

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for alter ego

alter ego

[ (awl-tuhr ee-goh) ]


An intimate friend, considered another side of oneself: “He was my alter ego; we were always picking up each other's thoughts.” Alter ego is Latin for “another I.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.