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noun
1.
a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality: one's own self.
2.
a person's nature, character, etc.: his better self.
3.
personal interest.
4.
Philosophy.
a.
the ego; that which knows, remembers, desires, suffers, etc., as contrasted with that known, remembered, etc.
b.
the uniting principle, as a soul, underlying all subjective experience.
adjective
5.
being the same throughout, as a color; uniform.
6.
being of one piece with or the same material as the rest: drapes with a self lining.
7.
Immunology. the natural constituents of the body, which are normally not subject to attack by components of the immune system ( contrasted with nonself ).
8.
Obsolete, same.
00:10
Self
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
pronoun
9.
myself, himself, herself, etc.: to make a check payable to self.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
10.
to self-pollinate.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English self, selfa; cognate with Dutch zelf, German selb-, Old Norse sjalfr, Gothic silba
before 900; Middle English; Old English self, selfa; cognate with Dutch zelf, German selb-, Old Norse sjalfr, Gothic silba
Dictionary.com Unabridged
self-
a combining form of self and variously used with the meanings “of the self” (self-analysis ) and “by oneself or itself” (self-appointed ); and with the meanings “to, with, toward, for, on, in oneself” (self-complacent ), “inherent in oneself or itself” (self-explanatory ), “independent” (self-government ), and “automatic” (self-operating ).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To self
Collins
World English Dictionary
self (sɛlf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl selves | |
| 1. | the distinct individuality or identity of a person or thing |
| 2. | a person's usual or typical bodily make-up or personal characteristics: she looked her old self again |
| 3. | rare good self, good selves a polite way of referring to or addressing a person (or persons), used following your, his, her, or their |
| 4. | one's own welfare or interests: he only thinks of self |
| 5. | an individual's consciousness of his own identity or being |
| 6. | philosophy the self that which is essential to an individual, esp the mind or soul in Cartesian metaphysics; the ego |
| 7. | a bird, animal, etc, that is a single colour throughout, esp a self-coloured pigeon |
| —pron | |
| 8. | not standard myself, yourself, etc: seats for self and wife |
| —adj | |
| 9. | See also self-coloured of the same colour or material: a dress with a self belt |
| 10. | obsolete the same |
| [Old English seolf; related to Old Norse sjālfr, Gothic silba, Old High German selb] | |
| self- | |
| —combining form | |
| 1. | of oneself or itself: self-defence; self-rule |
| 2. | by, to, in, due to, for, or from the self: self-employed; self-inflicted; self-respect |
| 3. | automatic or automatically: self-propelled |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
self
O.E. self, seolf, sylf "one's own person, same," from P.Gmc. *selbaz (cf. O.N. sjalfr, O.Fris. self, Du. zelf, O.H.G. selb, Ger. selbst, Goth. silba), P.Gmc. *selbaz, from PIE *sel-bho-, from base *s(w)e- "separate, apart" (see idiom).
"Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth." [Alan Watts]Self-made man first recorded 1832, Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
self (sělf)
n. pl. selves (sělz)
The total, essential, or particular being of a person; the individual.
One's consciousness of one's own being or identity; the ego.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
Self definition
languageA small, dynamically typed object-oriented language, based purely on prototypes and delegation. Self was developed by the Self Group at Sun Microsystems Laboratories, Inc. and Stanford University. It is an experimental exploratory programming language.
Release 2.0 introduces full source-level debugging of optimised code, adaptive optimisation to shorten compile pauses, lightweight threads within Self, support for dynamically linking foreign functions, changing programs within Self and the ability to run the experimental Self graphical browser under OpenWindows. Designed for expressive power and malleability, Self combines a pure, prototype-based object model with uniform access to state and behaviour. Unlike other languages, Self allows objects to inherit state and to change their patterns of inheritance dynamically. Self's customising compiler can generate very efficient code compared to other dynamically-typed object-oriented languages.
Version: 3.0 runs on Sun-3 (no optimiser) and Sun-4.
(http://sunlabs.com/research/self/).
["Self: The Power of Simplicity", David Ungar ungar@sun.eng.com et al, SIGPLAN Notices 22(12):227-242, OOPSLA '87, Dec 1987].
(1999-06-09)
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
self
the "I" as experienced by an individual. In modern psychology the notion of the self has replaced earlier conceptions of the soul
Learn more about self with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
But all this majestic advance should not obscure the constant dangers from which self-government must be safeguarded.
They're a wonderful overwintering plant and self-sow readily.
Decide upon a small symbol that can be drawn on the self-stick notes to represent each business type.
Self-empowerment of the community against state repression and police brutality.
Nearby Words
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