Where does “Self” come from?

Self comes from Middle English self, from Old English self, from Proto-Indo-European selbʰ-, ultimately from the reflexive pronoun root s(w)e-.

Self (English): Himself, herself, itself, themself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned)

Definitions

  1. Himself, herself, itself, themself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned)

Ancestry of “Self”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsalveAlternative form of sauf
2Old Englishsealfsalve
3Proto-West Germanicsalbusalve, ointment
4Proto-Germanicsalbōsalve, ointment
5Proto-Indo-Europeansolp-éh₂
6Proto-Indo-Europeanselp-fat, oil

Words derived from “Self

Every word from Proto-Indo-European selp-