the word 'yourselves' is a compound pronoun formed within english from the possessive 'your' and the plural reflexive 'selves'. 'your' originates from the old english 'ēower', the genitive plural form of 'gē' (you), which has germanic roots. 'self' comes from old english 'self', 'seolf', meaning 'one's own person', also of germanic origin. the combination into 'yourselves' as a reflexive and emphatic pronoun for the second person plural emerged in middle english, solidifying a distinct form to refer back to the plural 'you' for clarity and emphasis in both object and intensive functions.

Structure: your + selves your: (old english, germanic) possessive determiner form of 'you'. selves: (old english, germanic) plural form of 'self', meaning one's own person.