Ego
/ˈiː.ɡoʊ/noun
The self, especially as distinct from the world and other selves.
Did you know?In Latin, 'ego' simply means 'I', but in psychology, it represents the conscious self that can be both empowering and destructive.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*eĝ
“a personal pronoun meaning 'I' or 'self'.”
Latin
Latin
ego
“the first-person pronoun meaning 'I', signifying individual identity.”
Old French
Old French
ego
“borrowed directly from Latin as a philosophical term.”
19th Century
English
ego
“adopted into English philosophical and psychological discourse, often with deeper implications.”
20th Century
English
ego
“became a key term in psychology, representing the conscious mind in Freudian terms.”