Where does “thineself” come from?
thineself (English) comes from English thine, from Middle English þyn, from Old English þīn, from Proto-Germanic *þīn, from Proto-Germanic þīnaz, from Proto-Indo-European téynos, from Proto-Indo-European túh₂ — you, thou.
Ancestry of “thineself”, step by step
thineself traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English thine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thine | Singular second person prevocalic possessive... |
| 2 | Middle English | þyn | Alternative form of þin |
| 3 | Old English | þīn | your (singular), thine, thy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *þīn | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þīnaz | your, yours (thy, thine); 2nd person singular possessive |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | téynos | thy; thine |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | túh₂ | you, thou |
via English Self
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Self | Himself, herself, itself, themself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned) |
| 2 | Middle English | salve | Alternative form of sauf |
| 3 | Old English | sealf | salve |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | salbu | salve, ointment |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | salbō | salve, ointment |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | solp-éh₂ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | selp- | fat, oil |