yourself

English

Alternative forms

• yerself
• yo'self
• yoself
• Yourself (honorific)

Etymology

From Middle English yourself, equivalent to your +‎ -self.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, strong) IPA^(key): /jɔːˈsɛlf/, /jʊəˈsɛlf/
• (Received Pronunciation, weak) IPA^(key): /jəˈsɛlf/

  • Audio (London, UK)

    (file)

• (General American, strong) IPA^(key): /jɔɹˈsɛlf/, /jʊɹˈsɛlf/
• (General American, weak) IPA^(key): /jɚˈsɛlf/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Hyphenation: your‧self
• Rhymes: -ɛlf

Pronoun

yourself (referring to the person being spoken to, previously mentioned, the reflexive case of you)

1. (reflexive) Your own self (singular).

   Be careful with that fire or you'll burn yourself.

2. You (singular); used emphatically, especially to indicate exclusiveness of the referent's participation in the predicate, i.e., that no one else is involved.

   You yourself know that what you wrote was wrong.

   After a good night's sleep you'll feel like yourself again.

   1. (formal, proscribed) You (singular); in other contexts, a hypercorrection perceived as being more polite in formal and professional conversation..

      I spoke with yourself last in February.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Middle English

Alternative forms

• youreself, yourselff

Etymology

your +‎ self

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjuːrsɛlf/

Pronoun

yourself

1. Emphatic plural 2nd person pron.

Descendants

• English: yourself
• Yola: yerzel

References

• “yǒur-self, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.