Myself
/maɪˈsɛlf/noun
A reflexive pronoun used when the subject and object are the same person.
Did you know?Myself is not a single ancient word; it’s a layered English reflexive formed by combining the possessive pronoun my with self, a word whose oldest relatives point to the idea of the same person or thing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*s(w)e-
“Reflexive root meaning 'self' or 'one’s own'.”
Old English
English
mec sylf / me self
“Emphatic and reflexive expressions meaning 'my own self' or 'I myself'.”
Middle English
English
my selfe
“Written as two words, used reflexively and emphatically.”
Early Modern English
English
myself
“Increasingly fixed as a single reflexive pronoun.”
Modern English
English
myself
“Standard reflexive pronoun for the speaker.”