yourself
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Meaning
Used to refer to the person being addressed as the object of a verb or preposition when they are also the subject of the clause.
Used for emphasis to refer to the person being addressed.
Structure
Usage
You should be proud of yourself for finishing the project.
Did you make this cake yourself?
Consider what you want for yourself in the future.
Etymology
The word 'yourself' is a compound pronoun formed in Middle English from the possessive adjective 'your' and the noun 'self'. 'Your' originates from the Old English 'ēower', the genitive plural form of the second-person pronoun 'gē' (you), which has Proto-Germanic roots. 'Self' comes from the Old English 'self', meaning 'one's own particular person or identity', tracing back to the Proto-Germanic 'selbaz'. The fusion of these elements created a reflexive and emphatic pronoun that directly links the action or state back to the specific individual being addressed, solidifying a core concept of personal identity and agency in the language.
Analysis
- your (from Old English 'ēower', genitive of 'gē', meaning 'of you'): A possessive determiner functioning as the base. - self (from Old English 'self', meaning 'same, own, particular'): A noun/adjective suffix indicating identity or individuality.