Where does “myself” come from?
Myself comes from Middle English myself, from Old English mē self, literally meaning "me self."
myself (English): Me, as direct or indirect object; Personally, for...
Definitions
- Me, as direct or indirect object; Personally, for...
Ancestry of “myself”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | myself | — |
| 2 | Middle English | my | Alternative form of mi |
| 3 | Middle English | mi | First-person singular genitive determiner: my |
| 4 | Middle English | min | First-person singular genitive determiner: my;... |
| 5 | Old English | mīn | my, mine |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *mīn | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | mīnaz | my, mine; 1st person singular possessive |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méynos | my; mine |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mei | to fix, to build fortifications or fences |