Etymograph

English

self-

Self- comes from Proto-Germanic *selbaz ‘self’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selbʰ-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*selbaz1‘self’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*selba-1reconstructed
  4. Englishtodayself-1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English self-

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*selbʰ-Wiktionary, English self-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*selbazWiktionary, English self-‘self’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*selba-Wiktionary, English self-reconstructed
  4. Englishtodayself-Wiktionary, English self-

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-

Today it means

prefix of, by, in or with oneself or itself

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “self-”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ- / self-

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