Self \Self\, n.; pl. Selves.
1. The individual as the object of his own reflective
consciousness; the man viewed by his own cognition as the
subject of all his mental phenomena, the agent in his own
activities, the subject of his own feelings, and the
possessor of capacities and character; a person as a
distinct individual; a being regarded as having
personality. "Those who liked their real selves."
--Addison.
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A man's self may be the worst fellow to converse
with in the world. --Pope.
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The self, the I, is recognized in every act of
intelligence as the subject to which that act
belongs. It is I that perceive, I that imagine, I
that remember, I that attend, I that compare, I that
feel, I that will, I that am conscious. --Sir W.
Hamilton.
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2. Hence, personal interest, or love of private interest;
selfishness; as, self is his whole aim.
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3. Personification; embodiment. [Poetic.]
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She was beauty's self. --Thomson.
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Note: Self is united to certain personal pronouns and
pronominal adjectives to express emphasis or
distinction. Thus, for emphasis; I myself will write; I
will examine for myself; thou thyself shalt go; thou
shalt see for thyself; you yourself shall write; you
shall see for yourself; he himself shall write; he
shall examine for himself; she herself shall write; she
shall examine for herself; the child itself shall be
carried; it shall be present itself. It is also used
reflexively; as, I abhor myself; thou enrichest
thyself; he loves himself; she admires herself; it
pleases itself; we walue ourselves; ye hurry
yourselves; they see themselves. Himself, herself,
themselves, are used in the nominative case, as well as
in the objective. "Jesus himself baptized not, but his
disciples." --John iv. 2.
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Note: self is used in the formation of innumerable compounds,
usually of obvious signification, in most of which it
denotes either the agent or the object of the action
expressed by the word with which it is joined, or the
person in behalf of whom it is performed, or the person
or thing to, for, or towards whom or which a quality,
attribute, or feeling expressed by the following word
belongs, is directed, or is exerted, or from which it
proceeds; or it denotes the subject of, or object
affected by, such action, quality, attribute, feeling,
or the like; as, self-abandoning, self-abnegation,
self-abhorring, self-absorbed, self-accusing,
self-adjusting, self-balanced, self-boasting,
self-canceled, self-combating, self-commendation,
self-condemned, self-conflict, self-conquest,
self-constituted, self-consumed, self-contempt,
self-controlled, self-deceiving, self-denying,
self-destroyed, self-disclosure, self-display,
self-dominion, self-doomed, self-elected, self-evolved,
self-exalting, self-excusing, self-exile, self-fed,
self-fulfillment, self-governed, self-harming,
self-helpless, self-humiliation, self-idolized,
self-inflicted, self-improvement, self-instruction,
self-invited, self-judging, self-justification,
self-loathing, self-loving, self-maintenance,
self-mastered, self-nourishment, self-perfect,
self-perpetuation, self-pleasing, self-praising,
self-preserving, self-questioned, self-relying,
self-restraining, self-revelation, self-ruined,
self-satisfaction, self-support, self-sustained,
self-sustaining, self-tormenting, self-troubling,
self-trust, self-tuition, self-upbraiding,
self-valuing, self-worshiping, and many others.
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