Etymograph

English

self-help

From self- + help.

A compound of self- + help

Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-

Proto-Germanic *selbaz ‘self’

Proto-Germanic *selba-

English self-

Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb- ‘to help’

…

Proto-Germanic *helpō ‘help, aid’

Proto-West Germanic *helpu

Old English help ‘help, aid, assistance’

Middle English help

English help

Today it means

noun The practice of bettering oneself without relying on the assistance of others.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “self-help”. 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 / self-help

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