self

Definitions

1. pronoun

   Himself, herself or itself, used after a noun in formal writing.

   Examples

   • The defendant self put forward this argument.
   • The author self wrote the report.
2. pronoun

   Myself or oneself, used on forms.

   Examples

   • I made out a check payable to self.
   • She kept a small gift for self on her birthday.
3. noun

   A person's own character or manner.

   Examples

   • She stayed her usual cheerful self despite the setbacks.
   • He was back to his old self after a good night's sleep.
4. noun

   The part of you that experiences thoughts and feelings.

   Examples

   • Every act of thought involves an awareness of self.
   • Meditation can bring a clearer sense of self.
5. noun

   A person as the object of their own thought.

   Examples

   • The self is known in every act of thought.
   • Philosophers have long debated the nature of the self.
6. noun

   Your own interest or benefit.

   Examples

   • He acted purely out of self, with no care for others.
   • Ambition and self drove most of his decisions.
7. noun

   In gardening, a plant grown from its own pollen.

   Examples

   • The gardener planted several selfs from last year's crop.
   • A self rarely shows the variety of a hybrid.
8. noun

   A flower of one even color.

   Examples

   • The judges preferred the pure self to the striped kinds.
   • A perfect self shows no spots of color.
9. noun

   In biology, the body's own cells and molecules.

   Examples

   • The immune system learns to tell self from nonself.
   • Cells show markers that mark them as self.
10. verb

    For a plant, to fertilize itself.

    Examples

    • Many peas self before the flower opens.
    • The breeder let the plant self for several generations.