Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “yourselves” come from?

yourselves (English) comes from English selves, from English self, from Middle English sulf, from Old English sylf, from Old English self, from Proto-West Germanic *selb, from Proto-Germanic selbaz, from Proto-Indo-European selbʰ- — self.

yourselves (English): You , used as the object of a verb or...

Definitions

  1. You , used as the object of a verb or...

Ancestry of “yourselves”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishselvesplural of self
2EnglishselfHimself, herself, itself, themselves; that...
3Middle Englishsulf—
4Old Englishsylfself, oneself
5Old Englishselfself
6Proto-West Germanic*selb—
7Proto-Germanicselbazself
8Proto-Indo-Europeanselbʰ-one's own
9Proto-Indo-Europeans(w)e-separate, apart; separate; apart; oneself; one's...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanswéself
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swé →