self-aggrandizing

the term is a modern english compound, primarily from the 19th century, built upon the reflexive pronoun 'self' and the verb 'aggrandize'. 'aggrandize' entered english in the 17th century from french, tracing back to the latin elements 'ad-' (toward) and 'grandis' (great). the literal construction means "making oneself great." the '-ing' suffix converts the action into an adjective describing the characteristic behavior. thus, the word's logic moves from the concrete act of enlargement to the abstract psychological state of seeking self-promotion and inflated status.

Structure: self (oneself) + aggrandiz(e) (increase) + ing (adjective suffix) self: from old english 'self', meaning 'one's own person'. functions as a prefix indicating reflexive action. aggrandiz(e): from french 'agrandir', based on latin 'ad-' (to) + 'grandis' (large, great). the core morpheme 'grand' means 'great' or 'large'. the '-ize' suffix forms a verb meaning 'to make great'. ing: from old english '-ende', a suffix forming present participles and adjectives from verbs.