ourself

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word ourself. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word ourself, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say ourself in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word ourself you have here. The definition of the word ourself will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofourself, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

From Middle English oure-selfe; equivalent to our +‎ -self.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aʊə(ɹ)ˈsɛlf/, /ɑː(ɹ)ˈsɛlf/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛlf

Pronoun

ourself (first person, singular reflexive of we)

  1. (reflexive) The reflexive of the royal or editorial we: myself (as used by a monarch, writer or speaker who is referring to themself as we).
    In the present study, we will limit ourself to the simplest of cases.
    • 1838, Charles Dickens, Sketches of Young Gentlemen:
      Without in any way committing ourself upon this point, we have merely to observe, that we are ready to receive sealed offers containing a full specification of age, temper, appearance, and condition []
    • 1962, Princeton Alumni Weekly, volume 63, page 24:
      He then offered to guide us down to see for ourself, but one look down that dark hole to the water about 60 feet below completely dampened our speluncean ardor.
  2. (reflexive) The reflexive of the generic we: oneself.
    We should love our neighbor as ourself.
  3. (African-American Vernacular) The reflexive of the we: ourselves.

Usage notes

  • The normal reflexive form of we is ourselves. This form can generally be used alternatively in the above cases, too.

Coordinate terms

Translations

Anagrams