self-awareness
UK[ˌself əˈweənəs]US[ˌself əˈwernəs]
n
conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.
Morpheme Breakdown
self
aware
ness
self
own
aware
conscious
ness
state of
Etymology
the word 'self-awareness' is a modern english compound, built from ancient germanic roots. the first element, 'self', originates from proto-germanic selbaz, meaning "self, same", a concept with deep proto-indo-european roots related to reflexive identity. the second component, 'aware', stems from old english gewær, which itself derives from a west germanic base meaning "to watch out for", implying a state of vigilance. the suffix '-ness', of common germanic origin, solidifies the concept into an abstract noun. thus, the literal construction "the state of being watchful of oneself" elegantly captures the modern psychological meaning of introspective consciousness.
Analysis
Structure: self (own) + aware (conscious) + ness (state of)
self: from old english self, meaning "one's own person, same". functions as a prefix meaning "of, by, or to oneself".
aware: from old english gewær, meaning "watchful, vigilant". functions as the core adjective meaning "conscious of, informed about".
ness: from old english -nes(s), a suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a state or quality.
Examples
developing self-awareness is a key goal of mindfulness meditation.
her high degree of self-awareness allowed her to understand how her actions affected others.
the leadership course included exercises designed to increase the participants' self-awareness.