Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

forget oneself

 - 3 dictionary results

for⋅get

  [fer-get] verb, -got or (Archaic) -gat; -got⋅ten or -got; -get⋅ting.
Use forget oneself in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall: to forget someone's name.
2. to omit or neglect unintentionally: I forgot to shut the window before leaving.
3. to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take: to forget one's keys.
4. to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.
5. to fail to think of; take no note of.
6. to neglect willfully; disregard or slight.
–verb (used without object)
7. to cease or omit to think of something.
—Idiom
8. forget oneself, to say or do something improper or unbefitting one's rank, position, or character.
Origin:
bef. 900; for- + get; r. ME foryeten, OE forg(i)etan; c. OS fargetan, OHG firgezzan

Related forms:
for⋅get⋅ta⋅ble, adjective
for⋅get⋅ter, noun

Usage note:
Both forgot and forgotten are used as the past participle of forget: Many have already forgot (or forgotten) the hard times of the Depression. Only forgotten is used attributively: half-forgotten memories.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To forget oneself
Word Origin & History

forget 
O.E. forgytan, from for- "passing by, letting go" (cf. forbear, forgo) + gietan "to grasp" (see get). A common Gmc. construction (cf. O.S. fargetan, Du. vergeten, Ger. vergessen "to forget"). The literal sense would be "to lose (one's) grip on," but that is not recorded in any Gmc. language. Forgettable (1845) first attested in Carlyle. Forget-me-not (the flowering plant Myosotis palustris) is so called from 1532, from O.Fr. ne m'oubliez mye; in 15c. the flower was supposed to ensure that those wearing it should never be forgotten by their lovers. Similar loan-transl. into other languages, cf. Ger. Vergißmeinnicht, Sw. forgätmigej, Hungarian nefelejcs, Czech nezabudka.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

forget oneself

Lose one's reserve, temper, or self-restraint; do or say something out of keeping with one's position or character. For example, A teacher should never forget herself and shout at the class. Shakespeare used it in Richard II (3:2): "I had forgot myself: am I not king?" [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see forget oneself on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way