himself
UK[hɪmˈsɛlf]US[hɪmˈsɛlf]
pron
Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a male person or animal previously mentioned as the subject of the clause.
pron
Used to emphasize a male subject or object.
Morpheme Breakdown
him
self
him
he
self
same
Etymology
The word 'himself' is a compound pronoun formed within Old English from the pronoun 'him' and the adjective 'self'. The Old English 'self' derives from the Proto-Germanic selbaz, which is of uncertain deeper origin but possibly related to the Proto-Indo-European root sel-, meaning 'of oneself'. The construction follows a common Germanic pattern of combining object pronouns with 'self' to create reflexive forms, literally meaning 'that very him'. Over time, this literal sense of 'the same him' evolved into its modern grammatical functions, primarily to indicate that the action of the verb reflects back upon the male subject or to add emphasis to his identity.
Analysis
Structure: him (he) + self (same)
- him: Old English. The dative and accusative singular form of the masculine third-person pronoun 'he', functioning as the object form.
- self: Old English. An adjective meaning 'same, very, particular', functioning here as an intensifying suffix to form reflexive and emphatic pronouns.
Examples
He bought himself a new coat.
The manager himself answered the phone.
He should be proud of himself for finishing the project.