himself
/hɪmˈsɛlf/ pronoun
Forms he herself itself themselves themself himselfe himselve
- pronoun (reflexive pronoun) Him; the male object of a verb or preposition that also appears as the subject “He injured himself.”
- pronoun (emphatic) He; used as an intensifier, often to emphasize that the referent is the exclusive participant in the predicate “He was injured himself.”
- pronoun (Ireland, otherwise archaic) The subject or non-reflexive object of a predicate; he himself.
- pronoun (Ireland) The subject or non-reflexive object of a predicate; he (used of upper-class gentlemen, or sarcastically, of men who imagine themselves to be more important than others) “Has himself come down to breakfast yet?”
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English hymself, from Old English him selfum. Equivalent to him + -self.
Webster’s 1913
- pronoun An emphasized form of the third person masculine pronoun; --used as a subject usually with he; as, he himself will bear the blame; used alone in the predicate, either in the nominative or objective case; as, it is himself who saved himself.
- pronoun One's true or real character; one's natural temper and disposition; the state of being in one's right or sane mind (after unconsciousness, passion, delirium, or abasement); as, the man has come to himself. By himself, alone; unaccompanied; apart; sequestered; as, he sits or studies by himself.
- Themselves. See Hemself. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “himself”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details