self-similar

adjective

Having self-similarity; having parts that resemble the whole, as a fractal has.

OriginEnglish similar ← Middle English self- ← Old English self- →
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Meanings

adjectiveself-similar (comparative more self-similar, superlative most self-similar)

comparative more self-similar · superlative most self-similar

  1. Having self-similarity; having parts that resemble the whole, as a fractal has.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Englishsimilar
  9. Englishself-similar

From self- + similar.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech soběpodobný
  • soběpodobnýhaving parts that resemble the whole
Russian самоподо́бный
  • самоподо́бный (samopodóbnyj)having parts that resemble the whole
Cite this entry
APA

self-similar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-similar

MLA

“self-similar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-similar. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-similar,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-similar.

Source: self-similar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.