self-

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
4. Old Englishself
5. Old Englishself-
6. Middle Englishself-
7. English todayself-

From Middle English self-, silf-, seolf-, from Old English self-, sylf-, seolf-, from Proto-Germanic *selba-, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz (“self”). Cognate with Dutch zelf- (“self-”), German Low German sülvst- (“self-”), German selbst- (“self-”), Swedish själv- (“self-”), Icelandic sjálf- (“self-”). More at self.

Words from the same roots