Where does “oneself” come from?
Oneself derives from English self and one, with one tracing to Middle English -s, Old English ān, and Proto-Indo-European en, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱeh₃i-.
oneself (English): A person's self: general form of himself, herself...
Definitions
- A person's self: general form of himself, herself...
Ancestry of “oneself”, step by step
oneself traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English one's
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | one's | Belonging to one |
| 2 | English | one | The number represented by the Arabic numeral 1;... |
| 3 | Middle English | one | Alternative form of on; Alternative form of hone;... |
| 4 | Middle English | onen | to unify; to join together; to gather together;... |
| 5 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 6 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 7 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 8 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English self
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | self | Himself, herself, itself, themselves; that... |
| 2 | Middle English | sulf | — |
| 3 | Old English | sylf | self, oneself |
| 4 | Old English | self | self; oneself, personally |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *selb | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | selbaz | self |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | selbʰ- | one's own |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | s(w)e- | separate, apart; separate; apart; oneself; one's... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | swé | self |