Myself
/maɪˈsɛlf/ pron
pron ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Pronoun
- 1 Me, as direct or indirect object the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition, when the speaker is also the subject. pronoun, reflexive
"I taught myself."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of myself used when speaking as God or another important figure who is understood from context. alt-of
- 3 Personally, for my part; used in apposition to I, sometimes for simple emphasis and sometimes with implicit exclusion of any others performing the activity described.
"I myself have witnessed the event."
- 4 In my normal state of body or mind.
"I feel like myself."
- 5 Me, as the object of a verb or preposition without a reflexive trigger. Sometimes used for intensifying the pronoun of oneself. proscribed
"Give the ball to John or myself."
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- 6 I (as the subject of a verb). archaic, proscribed
"My wife and myself want to go on vacation."
- 7 my name is... India, Pakistan, nonstandard
"Myself John."
Example
More examples"I'd be unhappy, but I wouldn't kill myself."
Etymology
From Middle English myself, meself, from Old English mē selfum and similar phrases, equivalent to me + self, later partly reinterpreted as my + self / -self. Cognate with Scots mysel, mysell (“myself”), West Frisian mysels (“myself”), Dutch mijzelf (“myself”), German mich selbst, mir selbst (“myself”), Norwegian Bokmål meg selv (“myself”).