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单词 self-
释义

self-prefix

Primary stress is usually retained by a subsequent element.
Forms: Old English syl- (rare, before consonant), Old English sylf-, Old English sylfe- (rare), Old English–early Middle English seolf-, Old English (rare)–Middle English sel- (before consonant), Old English– self-, Middle English silf-, Middle English–1600s selfe-; also Scottish pre-1700 saill-, pre-1700 selff-, pre-1700 selth-, pre-1700 selve-, 1900s– sel, 1900s– sel'.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch self- (Dutch zelf- ), Old Saxon self- (Middle Low German sulf- ), Old High German selb- , selp- (Middle High German selb- , selp- , German selb- ), Old Icelandic sjálf- , Norwegian sjølv- , Old Swedish siälf- (Swedish själf- ), Old Danish selv- (Danish selv- ), Gothic silba- < the same Germanic base as self pron.Note on Germanic forms. Compare also German selbs- , (subsequently, with excrescent -t ) selbst- (now the usual form), Old Swedish siälfs- (Swedish själfs- ), reflectinɡ the genitive form of the pronoun; see further discussion at self pron. Early history in English. In Old English a relatively small number of compounds are recorded, of which a good proportion clearly show the objective relation (compare sense 1), while others are more difficult to categorize, as e.g. self-will n., self-heal n. (perhaps compare sense 5). Some of the Old English compounds have parallels or cognates in other Germanic languages, and it can be difficult to determine which reflect productivity of the prefix within English and which were inherited from Germanic. Of the Old English formations in self- , sylf- , only self-will n. and the plant name self-heal n. survive beyond early Middle English. Formations first attested in the Middle English period are few, apparently limited to self-wit n. and self-slayer n. Later productivity. Formations in self- are found in larger numbers from the first half of the 16th cent., especially in theological writing, where the prefix appears in combination with second elements of various origins; compare e.g. self-judgement n., self-trust n., self-rule n., self-minded adj., self-love n., etc. Formations are numerous in the 17th cent., especially in theological and philosophical contexts, partly after Greek formations in αὐτο- auto- comb. form1: compare e.g. self-instructer n. (beside earlier autodidact n.), self-judged adj., self-sufficient adj., etc. From the 19th cent. onward, formations are very common in a wide variety of contexts, exemplified below. Perception of the prefix as a separable element in early modern English is perhaps suggested by occasional uses correlated with an adjective, as strange and self-abuse (see quot. a1616 at self-abuse n. 1), wilful and self-murder (see quot. 1570 at self-murder n. 1); compare also self and vain conceit (Shakespeare Richard II iii. ii. 162; compare self-conceit n.).
The word self pron., adj., n., and adv. used as a prefix with reflexive meaning ‘oneself’, ‘itself’, in various relations with the second element of the compound. Cf. auto- comb. form1. The basis of compounds at senses 1 and 2 is usually a reflexive verbal phrase; thus, from ‘to accuse oneself’ is formed a series of related words, self-accusation, self-accusatory, self-accusing, self-accused, any of which may arise independently of the others. Formations with self- are virtually unlimited in number. A representative selection is illustrated at this entry; many of the more common examples are treated as headwords. The sense divisions in this entry are intended to reflect the broad range of uses of this element; many formations show aspects of more than one of these senses.
1. Forming words in which self- is in objective relation to the second element.Some of the words illustrated at senses 1d(a), 1e(a) could be considered as having self- in adverbial relation to the second element, and thus as belonging at sense 3.
a.
(a) With nouns of action.In quots. eOE and OE in Old English self-līce self-love (see self-liking n.) and self-cwalu suicide (compare quale n.1).Apparently not found in new formations between Old English and the 16th cent. For formations from the first half of the 16th cent. see e.g. self-judgement n., self-election n., self-rule n., self-slaughter n., self-sacrifice n., self-love n., self-liking n.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xi. 69 He hiene upahefeð on his mode on suelc gielp & on suelc selflice.
OE Fortunes of Men 56 Hine to sylfcwale secgas nemnað.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida ii. iii. 164 Without..respect of any, In will peculiar, and in selfe admission.
1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 82 Every Mans proper Mansion House and Home, being..the Seate of Selfe fruition.
1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme i. iv. 11 I conceive the intire Idea of a Spirit..to consist of..Self-penetration, Self-Motion, Self-contraction.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 28 Selfe-vexations..may by no way better be blowne over, then by reckoning Impossibles not to concerne our Desires.
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. ii. 102 To fill up the aerial interstices (which must needs be considerable in so great a self-dilation).
a1680 S. Butler Obstinate Man in Char. (1908) 177 He will rather suffer Self-Martyrdom than part with the least Scruple of his Freehold.
1690 J. Norris Christian Blessedness 23 To descend into the lowest Abyss of Humility and Self-abdication.
1695 T. Rokeby in Brief Mem. (1861) 56 This covenant and selfe-dedication was..renewed by me.
1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 24 Neither Lover, Author, Mystick, or Conjurer,..can..be intitl'd to a Share in this Self-entertainment.
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. iv. 118 Nor are the greatest Favourites of Fortune exempted from this Task of Self-Inspection.
1717 A. Pope Wks. Pref. sig. a The agreeable power of self-amusement when a man is idle or alone.
1744 T. Birch Life R. Boyle 41 Nothing but the forbiddenness of self-dispatch hindered his acting it.
1764 O. Goldsmith Traveller 15 Nor weighs the solid worth of self applause.
1796 F. Burney Camilla V. x. ix. 454 Thy afflicting, however blamable self-desertion.
1806 Ld. Byron On Distant View Harrow vi Fired by loud plaudits and self-adulation, I regarded myself as a Garrick revived.
1814 W. Wordsworth Excursion iv. 162 Inward self-disparagement.
1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor ix, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. I. 267 I am obliged to you..for breaking the ice at once, where circumstances..rendered self-introduction peculiarly awkward.
a1832 F. D. Maurice Moral & Metaphysical Philos. in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) II. 615/2 To a first cause we necessarily attribute self Causation.
1835 G. P. R. James Gipsy xix With the common self cheatery of fear, she loved not to give her apprehensions voice.
1842 H. E. Manning Serm. xx. 305 Fasting, and self-affliction.
1846 E. Bulwer-Lytton Lucretia III. ii. xiv. 38 He had to listen..to her haughty self-felicitations.
1846 C. Kingsley Lett. (1878) I. 140 Man has unrivalled powers of self-adaptation.
1848 Graham's Mag. Feb. 131/1 Apparent plagiarisms..arise from an author's self-repetition.
1853 G. Grote Hist. Greece XI. ii. lxxxvii. 387 Spartan self-suppression and rigour of life.
1857 C. Dickens Little Dorrit ii. xxvii. 545 Patience, self-denial, self-subdual.
1863 J. Kavanagh Queen Mab iii. vi They prefer self-indulgence to self-subjection.
1880 W. Sanday in Expositor 11 353 A certain self-projection of the commentator into a different order of ideas.
1892 ‘M. Twain’ Amer. Claimant xiv. 132 You can't get the best of all verdicts, self-acquittal.
1909 W. James Pluralistic Universe i. 36 It may be a supreme reaction of the universe upon itself by which it rises to self-comprehension.
1934 R. Campbell Broken Rec. vii. 161 Amongst the average English literary men, it is usual for them to go soft at thirty (the moral self-castration of the exoletus).
1935 T. S. Eliot Murder in Cathedral ii. 66 Dominated by the lust of self-demolition.
1949 A. Koestler Promise & Fulfilm. ii. iv. 253 This difference..was demonstrated by Irgun's..self-transformation into a bona fide democratic party.
1961 New Statesman 23 June 1010/3 ‘Mellowness’ becomes a means of avoiding the self-confrontations he says he has funked all his life.
1984 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 20 Jan. b2 The very nature and function of advertising may make self-laudation unavoidable.
1994 H. Bloom Western Canon ii. vi. 167 Molière shows the dark comedy of indulging the will, leading to self-abdication and destructive passion.
1999 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 15 July 12/1 It seems more product than a book, its prose a pottage of cliché, sermon, self-adulation and self-righteousness.
2003 Michigan Q. Rev. 42 653 The marginalization and self-marginalization, of othered groups' writings.
(b)
self-advancement n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfədˈvɑːnsm(ə)nt/
,
/ˌsɛlfədˈvansm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfədˈvænsmənt/
ΚΠ
1645 J. Bond Occasus Occidentalis 80 Such a depth of selfe-submission as this, is the highest step of selfe-advancement.
1707 J. Norris Pract. Treat. Humility v. 205 To accomplish this self-advancement, they would not matter what..Disturbances they raised in the State.
1825 Louisville (Kentucky) Public Advertiser 2 Nov. You..forbore..to derive to yourself, any advantage which selfish consideration, and a hope of self-advancement, could suggest.
1944 O. Stapledon Sirius (1972) 251 The Rev. Geoffrey Adams..was one of those clerics who had cared more for his parishioners than for self-advancement.
2002 D. Goleman et al. Business: Ultimate Resource 1251/2 Those who belong to Generation X..value opportunities for learning, self-advancement, and new challenges.
self-advertisement n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfədˈvəːtᵻsm(ə)nt/
,
/ˌsɛlfədˈvəːtᵻzm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈædvərˌtaɪzmənt/
,
/ˌsɛlfədˈvərdəzmənt/
ΚΠ
1837 London & Westm. Rev. Oct. 218 Charlatanerie, which is the making of dupes by self-advertisement, will always exist in societies vigorously and seriously active.
1963 Ann. Reg. 1962 452 There were moments of farce, exhibitionism, self-advertisement, coat-trailing, and invective.
2013 D. J. Fairbairn Odd Couples v. 79 Males..focus on out-competing other males for access to mating opportunities, and this generally entails a great deal of aggression and self-advertisement.
self-aggrandizement n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈɡrandᵻzm(ə)nt/
,
/ˌsɛlfəˈɡrandʌɪzm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈɡrænˌdaɪzmənt/
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1793 W. Russell Hist. Anc. Europe II. xii. 175 If he employed the forces of the state for the purpose of personal vengeance, or self-aggrandisement, he was justly held obnoxious.
1859 M. A. Schimmelpenninck Princ. Beauty 91 Animal luxury and self-aggrandisement belong to an essentially degraded style.
1937 Discovery July 225/2 A Board of Directors seeking only self-aggrandisement.
2010 C. Seife Proofiness iii. 114 Sometimes the reasons for lying go beyond simple self-aggrandizement.
self-appreciation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəpriːʃɪˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfəpriːsɪˈeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˌpriʃiˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfəˌprɪʃiˈeɪʃn/
ΚΠ
1808 S. T. Coleridge Let. Dec. (1959) III. 146 If this appear to you a Confidence too near to Presumption..it is an exception to my ordinary and habitual Tone of Self-appreciation.
1917 Crisis Apr. 276/1 It struck me there was a lack of self-esteem, a lack of self-appreciation, and a tendency to measure ourselves by false ideals.
2015 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 6 May 21 On a day-to-day level, cooking is a simple gesture of self-appreciation.
self-approbation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfaprə(ʊ)ˈbeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌæprəˈbeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1640 J. Jackson Key of Knowl. sig. F (margin) Yet selfe exami[n]ation is not enough with out selfe approbation.
1751 Earl of Orrery Remarks Swift (1752) ix. 73 With the smiles of self-approbation upon her equals.
1863 A. Blomfield Mem. Bp. Blomfield II. viii. 173 Had he been given to self-approbation, [he] might have claimed no small part of the credit.
1928 A. Huxley Point Counter Point xi. 182 He uttered his little cough of self-approbation.
2005 New Yorker 28 Nov. 184/2 He..raises his hands in self-approbation, as if he had just won an election.
self-approval n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈpruːvl/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈpruv(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1793 H. Boyd in Indian Observer (1795) 9 Sept. 5 Flattered sometimes by self-approval, fortunately, as perhaps he many have nothing else to reward him.
1883 Contemp. Rev. Sept. 358 Acred squires, who lay their heads..on their pillows with self-approval that they are square with the world.
2016 Internat. N.Y. Times (Nexis) 27 Apr. 7 In middle age, out of softness, laziness and self-approval, he indulged himself.
self-betterment n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈbɛtəm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈbɛdərmənt/
ΚΠ
1859 W. A. James Handbk. Reform 46 The main principle or cause of human progress and social development is..the desire for self-betterment.
1931 G. F. Stout Mind & Matter 174 Each blindly strives towards its own self-maintenance and self-betterment.
2008 Running Times Mar. 11/1 A spiritual quest of self-betterment common to humanity but realized by few.
self-blame n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈbleɪm/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈbleɪm/
ΚΠ
1645 Disc. Myst. New State 20 Hereby he put the Power out of his owne hands; selfe-harme, selfe-blame.
1849 M. C. Clarke Kit Bam's Adventures vii. 203 Her contrition and her ingenuous self-blame, wrought their due effect upon me.
1945 Flying Feb. 124/3 The patient admitted that his self-blame was unnecessary, that he had taken his responsibility too seriously.
2008 Conceive Mag. Autumn 55/1 It's normal to feel grief, anger, self-blame, depression, and shame.
self-charity n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtʃarᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtʃɛrədi/
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 195 Vnlesse selfe-charity be sometime a vice. View more context for this quotation
1692 E. Pierce Disc. Self-murder (new ed.) 31 Here is an irreparable breach made in humane Society; here is an unnatural violation of the Law of Self-charity.
1861 N. Carolina Univ. Mag. Apr. 486 The tyrant Self and his chief supporters Self-charity and Self-glorious Pride.
1997 Amer. Poetry Rev. May 37/1 These lines seem to me a casting out for comfort, a prayer for self-forgiveness, self-charity.
self-commendation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkɒm(ə)nˈdeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌkɑmənˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/
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1582 J. Lyly in T. Watson Ἑκατομπαθία: Passionate Cent. Loue To Author sig. ❧ Your selfe commendations.
1672 S. Cradock Apostolical Hist. xiv. 207 He desires the Corinthians to bear with him a little in his just and necessary self-commendation.
1779 S. Johnson Dryden in Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets III. 138 His [sc. Dryden's] self-commendations.
1859 Bombay Times 14 Sept. 210/3 She echoed the Imperial strain of self commendation.
1939 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 4 532 This eventual absorption of every ethnic unit is a matter of pride and self-commendation.
2015 P. B. Duff Moses in Corinth iii. 75 He had been accused of self-commendation by some in the community.
self-comparison n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəmˈparᵻs(ə)n/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəmˈpɛrəsən/
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) i. ii. 55 Till that Bellona's Bridegroome..Confronted him with selfe-comparisons, Point against Point. View more context for this quotation
1734 I. Watts Reliquiæ Juveniles ​xxxvii. 136 A vain Self-Comparison with Creatures.
1840 Ladies' Cabinet Sept. A sort of predestined outlaw, born only for a foil to make others happy by self-comparison.
1948 Times 12 July 5/7 Even the weakest team..must have gained by the exercise of self-comparison.
2016 Austral. Financial Rev. (Nexis) 4 June (Weekend) 24 We don't like strivers because they invite self-comparisons.
self-correction n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɛkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɛkʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1654 S. Petto Voice of Spirit xxi. 153 Witnessings of the Spirit procure sorrow and selfe-correction for unkindnesses offered to the Lord.
1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence v. 238 Repentance is an act of Self-correction.
1833 J. F. Cooper Headsman I. v. 67 The habit of self-study and self-correction, together with a deference to others that was well adapted to gain friends.
1965 Math. in Biol. & Med. (Med. Res. Council) iii. 85 The use of computers in diagnosis will need provision for..self-correction by new data, and for questioning unusual or missed signs.
2006 Field & Stream Aug. s11 I have broken down self-correction into a four F-word mantra: footwork, flow, face, and finish.
self-critique n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkrᵻˈtiːk/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkrɪˈtik/
ΚΠ
1872 Illustrated Rev. Jan. 443/2 A feigned letter to himself, containing a self-critique of all his former political doings and sayings.
1959 E. Pulgram Introd. Spectrogr. Speech 7 Switching from one linguistic code to another is conducive to self-critique.
2007 Best Life Sept. 104/1 How, I despaired in uncharacteristic self-critique, had I managed to learn so little about fatherhood?
self-debasement n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈbeɪsm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈbeɪsmənt/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈbeɪsmənt/
ΚΠ
1646 F. Roberts Broken Spirit Ep. Ded. sig. A2 Lying on the ground, in self-debasement.
c1816 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) IV. 676 Hollowness of heart in the habitual phrases of self-crimination and self-debasement.
1937 Speculum 12 278 We may be out of sympathy with the stern self-debasement, the utter futility, and the fantastic dementia which marked the early centuries of this particular phase of Christianity.
2014 Jerusalem Post (Nexis) 26 Feb. 13 Far from self-criticism, this is simply self-debasement.
self-deification n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdeɪᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiːᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdiəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1637 Earl of Monmouth in tr. V. Malvezzi Romulus & Tarquin Ep. Ded. sig. ¶4 The selfe-deification of Romulus.
1730 F. Bruys Art knowing Women 24 Among Men, it is the Art of passing for perfect; a Sort of Self-Deification.
1903 ‘M. Twain’ in N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 510 She..has carried self-deification to a length which has not before been ventured in ages.
2014 Hobart Mercury (Nexis) 18 Mar. 16 This is not merely an exercise in self-justification, it is an exercise in self-deification.
self-description n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈskrɪpʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈskrɪpʃ(ə)n/
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/ˌsɛlfdiˈskrɪpʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1804 Lit. Mag. & Amer. Reg. Jan. 307/1 I confess myself much delighted with these self-descriptions of ‘persons whom no one knows’.
1880 S. A. Brooke Poems from Shelley Pref. p. xvii He passes from magnificent union of himself with Nature.., to equally great self-description.
1938 Far Eastern Surv. 7 289/2 The revolutionists—though they shy off from so violent a self-description—whipped it into slogan form.
2016 Canberra Times (Nexis) 5 Mar. a15 ‘Camp’ being the preferred term of self-description for homosexual men and women until about 1972.
self-disapproval n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdɪsəˈpruːvl/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdɪsəˈpruv(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1847 Brit. Q. Rev. Nov. 429 This view of conscience does not greatly..differ from that which regards it as an emotion of self-approval or self-disapproval.
1947 Philosophy 22 99 Suppose that I believe myself to have behaved wrongly on a certain occasion and that I feel remorse or self-disapproval.
2015 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 13 Aug. c1 He..works up the courage to ask her out for coffee, which is somewhat surprising, given the chorus of self-disapproval raging in his head.
self-dislike n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdɪsˈlʌɪk/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdᵻsˈlaɪk/
ΚΠ
1640 E. Reynolds Treat. Passions xxi. 278 And by this means between a selfe-dislike, and a too high estimation of others, truth ever fals to the ground.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Sensus Communis: Ess. Freedom of Wit 96 An alternate Disquiet and Self-Dislike.
1800 Edinb. Mag. Oct. 300/1 Thus he went on,..doing actions which produced new self-dislike.
1940 Proc. Aristotelian Soc. 40 186 The emotional element of self-dislike or self-enjoyment, which turns a sensation into that of pain or pleasure.
2015 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 26 Sept. 15 Self-dislike is a virtue, is the status quo. It's time to recast it as a vice.
self-display n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈspleɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈspleɪ/
ΚΠ
1806 Eclectic Rev. Jan. 15 Despising all the petty arts of self-display.
1938 Illustr. London News 5 Nov. 845/3 A raging passion for self-display and self-indulgence.
2012 Observer (Nexis) 29 Apr. (Mag.) 55 She comes across as an actor unlikely to be engaged in the business of flamboyant self-display.
self-division n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈvɪʒn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈvɪʒ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) v. sig. Pp4 Till it..runne it selfe vpon the rockes of selfe-diuision.
1682 R. Baxter Of Nature of Spirits 53 in Of Immortality of Mans Soul You say, That must be Creation, or Self-division. Ans. No; it is but Generation.
1756 Beauties of Eng. Stage III. 217 No Self-division, Bosom-anarchy Disturbs his Hours; thoughtless he labours on.
1857 P. H. Gosse Omphalos vii. 177 The whole of this immense structure [sc. a tree] originated in a single cell, which, by repeated acts of self-division..has gradually built up the mass.
1952 G. F. Hervey & J. Hems Freshwater Trop. Aquarium Fishes iii. 31 This is a very pretty and distinctive plant... Propagation is by self-division.
2006 Advocate 11 Apr. 69/2 She expressed the frisson of lesbian identity through themes of self-division and outsiderness.
self-duplication n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdjuːplᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfdʒuːplᵻˈkeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌd(j)upləˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biographia Literaria I. xii. 268 A perpetual self-duplication of one and the same power into object and subject.
1953 J. S. Huxley Evol. in Action i. 16 (caption) They [sc. the chromosomes] have divided longitudinally after self-duplication.
2007 Washington Post (Nexis) 28 Oct. m1 The doubleness, the self-duplication of the Emirates Towers captures the essence of a city that runs on brands and branding.
self-education n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɛdjᵿˈkeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛdʒᵿˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɛdʒəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΘΚΠ
society > education > [noun] > self-education
self-culture1747
self-cultivation1766
self-education1782
1782 J. Jekyll Life Sancho in I. Sancho Lett. I. p. xv The extent of intellect to which Ignatius Sancho had attained by self-education.
1846 E. Bulwer-Lytton Lucretia II. ii. i. 129 He [sc. a poet] must employ his intellect, and his self-education must be large and comprehensive.
1935 M. R. Anand Untouchable 58 Recently he had actually gone and bought a first primer of English. But his self-education hadn't proceeded beyond the alphabet.
2010 E. Doscow Nolo's Essent. Guide Divorce (ed. 3) xv. 426 If your spouse always took care of ‘handy’ tasks around the house, you may need to do some quick self-education.
self-enjoyment n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈdʒɔɪm(ə)nt/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛnˈdʒɔɪm(ə)nt/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈdʒɔɪmənt/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛnˈdʒɔɪmənt/
ΚΠ
1648 J. Fathers Content of Wayfaring Man Ep. Ded. 29 A contemplative retirednes and a contentive sweetnes in your self-injoyments.
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. iv. 99 To have the chief Means and Power of Self-Enjoyment.
1870 D. G. Rossetti Let. 7 Nov. (1965) II. 914 That sense of the poet's self-enjoyment which is indispensable to the enjoyment of the reader.
1960 H. Read Forms of Things Unknown iii. ix. 149 No explanation of art as ‘objectified self-enjoyment’..can account for the facts of art history.
2008 Outlook Profit 14 June 71/1 The..spa is spread over an undulating 15,600 sq. feet, and you enter a very special zone given over to self-enjoyment and benefit.
self-enrichment n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈrɪtʃm(ə)nt/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛnˈrɪtʃm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈrɪtʃmənt/
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/ˌsɛlfˌɛnˈrɪtʃmənt/
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1659 T. Willis Καιροὶ Χαλεποί 183 They..commit it [sc. this sinne of Sacriledge], when an opportunity of Self-enrichment thereby shall be offer'd.
1845 G. Mazzini Italy, Austria & Pope 63 Inferior employés..are guilty of every possible malversation, and aim solely at self-enrichment.
1920 B. Russell Pract. & Theory Bolshevism ii. i. 127 Self-enrichment seemed the natural aim of a man's political actions.
2013 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 13 May a4/2 Mr. Xi has vowed to clamp down on corruption, extravagance and self-enrichment.
self-exhibition n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɛksᵻˈbɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɛksəˈbɪʃ(ə)n/
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a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. vi. 123 To be partner'd With Tomboyes hyr'd with that selfe exhibition Which your owne Coffers yeeld.
1775 Genuine Mem. Mess. Perreau xiv. 197 The gentlemen..give her out..for the offspring of an untitled man of rank, as she herself set forth at the different periods of her examination, and self-exhibition in the public prints.
1829 Liverpool Mercury 6 Nov. That love of small celebrity which courts self-exhibition upon any terms.
1939 A. Huxley After Many a Summer i. ii. 24 Jeremy made his mannequin's gesture of apologetic self-exhibition.
2015 Mirror (Nexis) 6 Nov. No obvious talent, except of self-promotion and self-exhibition.
self-expansion n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻkˈspanʃn/
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/ˌsɛlfɛkˈspanʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪkˈspænʃ(ə)n/
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/ˌsɛlfˌɛkˈspænʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1668 J. Glanvill Plus Ultra 63 The strange Effects which use to be ascribed to that general and obscure cause, do arise from the native self-expansion of the Air.
1837 Boston Courier 3 Apr. England..has only to establish a stable, circulating medium, capable of self-expansion to the utmost limit of rational prospects of gain.
1939 Mind 48 238 He sees that the root motive of mysticism is self-expansion—though he does not use this expression.
2010 Daily Tel. 5 Jan. 22/8 It's about self-expansion, about taking your place in the world and experiencing it as an infinite source of joy and wonder.
self-explication n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɛksplᵻˈkeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɛkspləˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
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a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. iv. 8 A thing perplex'd Beyond selfe-explication . View more context for this quotation
1850 Mercersburg Rev. May 314 A process of real self-explication, by which he comes forth from the depths of eternity into the syllabled speech of time.
1920 F. P. B. Osmaston tr. G. W. F. Hegel Philos. Fine Art II. 2 Every particular phase which reveals the Ideal in its process of self-explication.
2015 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 29 Jan. e1 Notoriously averse to self-explication, the gnomic designer nevertheless scatters clues to her current thinking.
self-humiliation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfhjʊˌmɪlɪˈeɪʃn/
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/ˌsɛlfˌhjuːmɪlɪˈeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfh(j)uˌmɪliˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
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1630 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. §xxxix A selfe-humiliation.
1770 J. Andrews Rev. Characters Principal Nations Europe II. 111 This Self-Humiliation is no ungrateful Offering to the Superciliousness and Arrogance for which so many of the German Nobility and Gentry are unhappily noted.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair l. 446 That timorous debasement and self-humiliation of a woman.
1964 Life 30 Oct. 31/1 The man whose self-humiliation has spawned 1,000 dirty jokes.
2016 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 16 Aug. 21 A retired civil servant drawn to self-humiliation and peevish reprisals.
self-interrogation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˌtɛrəˈɡeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˌtɛrəˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n/
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1739 W. Smith in tr. On Sublime 152 The words of Christ in this Figure of Self-interrogation and Answer.
a1854 J. S. Mill Draft Autobiogr. (1961) 122 Let..your scrutiny, your self interrogation exhaust themselves on that.
1940 Life 17 June 57/3 In one of his extremely rare periods of self-interrogation he has expressed his feelings on the subject.
2013 Guardian (Nexis) 25 Mar. The marketing industry needed to undergo some self-interrogation and think about how they select and develop their staff.
self-intoxication n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˌtɒksᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˌtɑksəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1834 C. Cushing Reply to Let. J. F. Cooper 74 In the wanton pride of their self-intoxication, they and their master have done that, which compels men to think.
2013 Times Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) (Nexis) 12 Sept. a5 If the victim is so intoxicated that she loses her ability to withdraw consent, even by self-intoxication, there can be no consent from that point forward.
self-invitation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnvᵻˈteɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɪnvəˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1638 P. Godwin tr. F. de Calvi Hist. Theeves iv. 29 (heading) A Cheaters selfe-invitation.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. 68 We then endeavoured to recollect the words of his self-invitation hither.
1805 J. Austen Let. 24 Aug. (1995) 108 I defy her to accept this self-invitation of mine, unless it be really what perfectly suits her.
1927 Musical Times 68 712/2 It will be noticed that the invitation came from Germany, and was not a self-invitation.
2014 T. McMahon Kilometer 99 59 A wave of self-consciousness washed over me..and forced me to feel silly for the self-invitation.
self-neglect n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfnᵻˈɡlɛkt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfnəˈɡlɛk(t)/
ΚΠ
1613 J. Ford Christes Bloodie Sweat 25 He who follows Christ must not respect Promotion, money, glory, ease delight: But pouerty, reproofe, and selfe-neglect.
1715 S. Browne Jewish & Popish Zeal Describ'd 4 Here is a noble Instance of Self-neglect, such a mighty Principle of Benevolence to Mankind, as puzzles Faith.
1819 St. Louis Enquirer 18 Sept. A single man is apt to run to waste and self-neglect.
1937 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 9 Jan. 100/2 He was..generous to the point of self-neglect.
2008 HIV Plus May 41/3 Not long after the couple broke up—in part due to Andrew's self-neglect—he died after a painful battle with pneumonia.
self-organization n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɔːɡənʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
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/ˌsɛlfɔːɡn̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɔrɡəˌnaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
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/ˌsɛlfˌɔrɡənəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1802 Bell's Weekly Messenger 31 Oct. 347/2 The right of self-organization acquired by Helvetia, is one of the glorious results of the war.
1927 F. M. Thrasher Gang iii. xvi. 309 The genius of the gang leads to reorganization as well as to self-organization.
2007 D. S. Wilson Evol. for Everyone xxxi. 286 A real beehive provides a fabulous example of self-organization at the group level.
self-portrayal n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpɔːˈtreɪəl/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌpɔrˈtreɪ(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1866 Christian Examiner July 43 He describes his painful consciousness of loving and thirst for love, with a fulness of self-portrayal like that of Petrarch.
1920 Review 17 Apr. 399 This tendency towards self-portrayal and lyrical effusion..has warped the book as a whole.
2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 24 Nov. a18 Criticism from establishment politicians..will only fuel his self-portrayal as the truth-telling outsider.
self-preparation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprɛpəˈreɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌprɛpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 122 Selfe-preparations, that is a taking up of a rest in the soule, that if she can but attaine to these, she need goe no further.
1763 St. James's Chron. 17 Sept. But does not the Self-Preparation of his Remedy, and his Application of it to the Cure of so many different Diseases, seem to evidence a Tincture of Empiricism?
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 140 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV This bridge between self-preparation and the university course.
2009 Gender & Society 23 841 According to survivors, self-preparation made them feel more confident.
self-presentation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprɛznˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌprɛznˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
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/ˌsɛlfˌpriˌzɛnˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
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/ˌsɛlfˌpriznˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1829 Foreign Rev. Jan. 222 They have the sole privilege of self-presentation to the Sultan, before whom they stand with their arms crossed.
1901 C. Gore Body of Christ iv. 219 The heavenly intercession and self-presentation of Christ.
2015 N.Y. Times Mag. 11 Oct. 98/2 We present ourselves, and we think about that self-presentation.
self-promotion n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈməʊʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈmoʊʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1653 E. Hall Ὴ ἀποστασία ὁ ἀντίχριστος iii. iii. 94 He exalts himself and magnifies himself;..self-promotion is his end, that he may be mighty in the eyes of the world; he makes himselfe god.
1726 P. Fiske Good Subject's Wish 22 Self Promotion is very displeasing to God, who..would have no man rush into his Service or run of his Errand before he is sent.
1848 Southern Literary Messenger 14 469/2 He aided them in..forwarding their schemes of self-interest and self-promotion.
1934 L. R. Farnell Oxonian looks Back x. 101 He published little beyond our college registers..—he loved learning for its own charm without any arrière-pensée of self-promotion or fame.
2015 National Jrnl. (Nexis) 5 Jan. There is a thin line between accountability and annoyance, between self-promotion and self-delusion.
self-protection n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈtɛkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈtɛkʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1635 A. Fawkner Widowes Petition 19 The enquiry of the lawfulnesse of the Defendants selfe-protection by Falshood, Calumny, Appeale, or open Force.
1783 Ess. on Necessity of protecting Duties 40 Such a measure would, for self protection, force us to manufacture that linnen yarn at home, which is now exported.
1860 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (ed. 2) V. 101 In self-protection he had been obliged to arm his household.
1933 E. Partridge Slang To-day & Yesterday iii. 223 Until about the end of the eighteenth century, actors were so despised that, in self-protection, they had certain words that, properly, should be described as cant.
2003 Black Belt Apr. 16/2 Kids can be taught physical self-protection at a young age.
self-punishment n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpʌnᵻʃm(ə)nt/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpənɪʃmənt/
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a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxv. sig. Ee5v The selfe-punishment for others faults.
1663 J. Wright tr. E. Forcatel in tr. Martial Sales Epigrammatum 66 An envious mind is a self-punishment.
1889 Science 22 Mar. 216/2 The principal streets of the village are traversed, and the self-punishment is inflicted with special violence during pauses at the street-corners.
1948 Ethics 59 58/2 Wrap all idiosyncrasies and self-punishments..into a final splurge of spirituality.
2016 Toronto Star (Nexis) 2 Sept. e5 The telling of his family's story could be a drunken habit of self-punishment or a moment of self-obsessed nostalgia.
self-purification n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpjʊərᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
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/ˌsɛlfpjɔːrᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌpjʊrəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
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1654 S. Petto Voice of Spirit xxi. 155 The witnessings of the Spirit, lay powerfull engagements upon the heart towards selfe-purification.
a1719 S. Bourn Transforming Vision of Christ (1721) 25 Hope looking towards God as a Pattern of Purity, hath an Influence on Self-purification.
1837 W. E. Channing Let. on Annexation of Texas to U.S. 4 How far I have prepared myself for my work by this self-purification, it becomes not me to say.
1924 W. B. Selbie Psychol. Relig. x. 202 A longing for self-purification.
2006 Tablet 14 Oct. 8/1 His focus was the need to seize Ramadan's many opportunities for self-purification and to show compassion to the hungry, the poor and the outcast.
self-quotation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkwə(ʊ)ˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌkwoʊˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
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1681 Brief Answer to Mr. L'Estrange 4 As to the fifth particular, that he has scandalously represented the late Petitioners and the Promoters of them, he would evade also by his own self Quotations.
1714 D. Prat Several Important Truths of Relig. Maintain'd 12 He was forced still to borrow of himself, and patches it up with Self-quotations.
1858 Graham's Illustr. Mag. Oct. 386/1 If I am guilty of the weakness of self quotation, it is because I am unavoidably compelled to do so.
1902 Classical Rev. 16 148/1 These are examples of coincident language, not of self-quotation.
2011 Australian (Nexis) 12 Dec. 14 It is..full of cliches and self-quotation.
self-rebuke n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈbjuːk/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈbjuk/
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/ˌsɛlfriˈbjuk/
ΚΠ
a1673 T. Horton Choice & Pract. Expos. Four Psalms (1675) 191 To free himself from it [sc. Sadness and Distemper], in the improvement of his Reason, by way of self-rebuke and Expostulation.
1765 J. Brown Thoughts on Civil Liberty (ed. 2) v. 33 The general Principle of Self-Approbation or Self-Rebuke ariseth in a universal Manner, in some Degree or other.
1871 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch (1872) I. i. iii. 41 Dorothea checked herself suddenly with self-rebuke for the presumptuous way in which she was reckoning on uncertain events.
2005 Los Angeles Apr. 72/2 He was taking me on a walk out of creative despair and self-rebuke into a place of, if not contentment, at least laughter.
self-recrimination n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻkrɪmᵻˈneɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˌkrɪməˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
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1769 I. Bickerstaff Hypocrite i. v. 15 What horrid crime have you been hurried into, that calls for this severe self-recrimination?
1858 C. C. Caddell Home & Homeless III. vii. 188 Unused to mental discipline of any kind, this sort of self recrimination soon became too painful to be endured.
1965 J. A. Michener Source 700 He was thrown into a world of self-recrimination and remorse.
2008 Prevention Feb. 187/2 Short-circuit negative thoughts that can only dampen enjoyment, such as self-recriminations or worries about others' perceptions.
self-renewal n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈnjuːəl/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈn(j)uəl/
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/ˌsɛlfriˈn(j)uəl/
ΚΠ
1781 J. Clowes tr. E. Swedenborg True Christian Relig. I. i. 13 As if the first Seed was acquainted with all the orderly Steps and successive Stages, through which it must pass to its Self-Renewal in the second Seed.
1836 Eclectic Rev. Mar. 197 Things which have not the inherent power of self-renewal, must corrupt and pass away.
1954 B. North & R. North tr. M. Duverger Polit. Parties i. ii. 87 One of the constant features of the French Communist party is its perpetual self-renewal.
2005 C. Tudge Secret Life Trees i. 16 This constant self-renewal, powered by an endless intake of energy, is called ‘metabolism’.
self-restoration n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrɛstəˈreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌrɛstəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1809 Monthly Mag. Dec. 523/1 Nor has it [sc. the human machine]..an internal power of self-restoration.
1923 N. Amer. Rev. Dec. 850 The German people spontaneously united in spirit and purpose and achieved one the finest triumphs of self-restoration in history.
2015 Irish Times (Nexis) 4 July (Sat. Mag.) 35 Beverly Hills is among the world's top destinations for luxurious self-restoration.
self-restriction n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈstrɪkʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈstrɪkʃ(ə)n/
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/ˌsɛlfriˈstrɪkʃ(ə)n/
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1797 Caution; recommended to Least Honourable Countesses Eng. 18 Woman, by self-restriction points a way, Which ev'n rebellion follows, to obey.
1954 Rotarian Dec. 12/1 The ten kingly virtues: almsgiving, morality, liberality, straightforwardness, gentleness, self-restriction, [etc.].
2003 Church Times 12 Dec. 16/2 The notion of God's self-restriction and self-humiliation.
self-scrutiny n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈskruːtᵻni/
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/ˌsɛlfˈskruːtn̩i/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈskrutn̩i/
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1646 J. Nalton Delay of Reformation 10 This should be a day of self-scrutiny and self-reflection.
a1711 T. Ken Christophil in Wks. (1721) I. 464 Frequent self-scrutinies the Humble makes.
1865 D. G. Rossetti Let. 21 Nov. (1965) II. 581 This [feeling of rage]..leads not to envy in the least, but to self-scrutiny.
1960 Rembrandt Drawings from Amer. Coll. (Pierpont Morgan Library) 17 The small, lightly-frowning portrait at the left is a fleeting but lively instance of Rembrandt's self-scrutiny.
2011 Daily Tel. 12 July 23/7 If self-scrutiny is hell, then little wonder that inhabiting other characters, other lives, is sheer heaven.
self-torture n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtɔːtʃə/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtɔrtʃər/
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1623 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. VII. O.T. xviii. 178 I doe not finde that the true God euer required or accepted the selfe-tortures of his seruants.
1753 J. Nelson Ess. Govt. Children 273 In the Midst of his Self-torture, his only Thoughts are, whether he shall ruin or be ruined.
1832 J. Marsh Epitome Gen. Eccl. Hist. iii. xxiv. 409 Horrid self-tortures are daily practised and applauded.
1937 Pop. Sci. Monthly Aug. 22 (caption) Walking barefoot on a bed of hot coals is a form of self-torture practiced by some ‘holy men’ of India.
2006 Prevention Aug. 182 When temperatures spike and turning on the range is an exercise in self-torture, let Mother Nature come to the rescue.
self-tuition n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlftjʊˈɪʃn/
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/ˌsɛlftʃʊˈɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlft(j)uˈɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1800 Ipswich Jrnl. 18 Oct. Persons endeavouring to give themselves by self-tuition those advantages of literary education, which their early life denied.
1927 Passing Show Summer 47 (advt.) For those learning at home Hugo's Postal Self-Tuition Courses are the only certain way of acquiring languages quickly.
2010 Financial Mail (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 27 Aug. She left school to fast-track her matric through self-tuition and a correspondence college.
self-valuation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfvaljʊˈeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌvæljuˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1655 J. Caryl Expos. 22nd–26th Chapters Job (xxv. 6) 715 The titles which the Spirit of God gives to man, are humbling titles,..any thing which may keep downe his spirit and abate selfe-valuations.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists iii. ii. 230 Self-valuation supposes Self-worth.
1852 Examiner 14 Aug. People..will have to book themselves at extra rates according to their self-valuation, and we shall see precisely what they think themselves worth.
1946 P. Bottome Lifeline xxxix. 297 Their self-valuation was threatened.
2009 Sunday Times (Nexis) 8 Mar. (Culture) 34 There's now little public tolerance for would-be hot properties with flashy facades, nothing upstairs and grossly inflated self-valuations.
self-verification n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfvɛrᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌvɛrəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
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1840 Morning Chron. 2 Mar. The process of self-verification by the Chamber..becomes one of the most tedious and complicated undertakings that can well be imagined.
1912 Swayzee (Indiana) Press 19 Jan. The ‘Pilgrim's Progress’ is a gallery of portraits, admirably discriminated, and as convincing in their self-verification as those of Holbein.
2013 Social Psychol. Q. 76 292/2 Theories of self suggest identity processes are motivated by self-verification or by self-enhancement.
self-vindication n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfvɪndᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌvɪndəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1647 Reformado's Remonstr. 4 Yet were it lawfull for Subjects..to challenge liberty of speech in a self-vindication, we durst appeale unto the meanest judgment.
1690 C. Ness Compl. Hist. & Myst. Old & New Test. I. 314 Jacobs silence..was far better than his son's self-vindication.
1754 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VII. 302 Whoever declines forbidden instances of self-vindication..needs not doubt but he shall be respected by most.
1855 G. W. M. Reynolds Myst. Court of London VII. 30/1 I am compelled to give these explanations—these self-vindications now!
1945 Life 17 Dec. 60/2 Speer had a plan for establishing an ‘in’ with the winning side—what amounted to a well-devised strategy of self-vindication and survival.
2014 Daily Mail (Nexis) 7 Apr. Her 71 words began with a self-vindication of second home expenses claims.
self-worship n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈwəːʃɪp/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈwərʃəp/
ΚΠ
1583 A. Marten tr. P. M. Vermigli Common Places iv. ix.127/1 So then, that which is added vnto Baptisme, is selfe worship [L. Quod ergo addatur Baptismo ἐθελοθρησκέια est] and no lawfull and sincere administration of Baptisme .
1660 I. Penington Exam. Causes of Law of Banishm. against Quakers 91 There is a long travel from Babylon to Zion, wherein..the self-will, self-worship, self-wisdom, knowledge, and righteousness..is cut down.
1700 J. Gother Princ. & Rules of Gospel xiv. 79 They make Idols of themselves, and for this self-worship, despise all the Instructions Christ has given them, and forsake his Gospel.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus iii. x, in Fraser's Mag. Aug. 188/2 These two principles of Dandiacal Self-worship..manifest themselves under distant and nowise considerable shapes.
1934 Crisis May 128/1 The self-worship of the Aryans must yet find a people upon whom to vent its wrath, its bitterness and its hatred.
2008 Bicycling July 30/2 The rite [sc. leg-shaving] is said..to serve as an act of self-worship when the bare legs are flexed in front of full-length mirrors.
b.
(a) With verbal nouns.For early (16th-cent.) formations of this type see e.g. self-weening n., self-soothing n., self-seeking n.
ΚΠ
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V ii. iv. 75 Selfeloue..is not so vile a thing, As selfe neglecting.
1649 J. Lightfoot Battle with Wasp's Nest in Wks. (1825) I. 421 Pride, blind zeal, and self-prizing.
1672 R. Wild Let. Declar. Liberty Conscience 14 The..self-whippings, of the Popish Priests.
1702 J. Howe Self-dedic. 16 Our dedicating our selves, to God, is a self-committing.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. iv. 189 Humiliations and self afflictings.
1840 J. W. Carlyle Lett. (1883) I. 124 Overcome by her tears and promises and self-upbraidings.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda IV. viii. lxiii. 241 Self-checking and suppression.
1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. I. vi. 158 Self-compounding of mental facts is inadmissible.
1902 J. Smith Integr. Script. i. 9 The self-unveiling of God.
1954 J. Kerouac Let. 17 May in Sel. Lett. 1940–56 (1995) 423 Self-misleadings about ‘happiness’, the slew of suffering on all sides in the name of some gutsy human idea.
1981 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 20 Dec. Oedipus's self-blinding, Stravinsky said, would be signified in a change of mask.
2015 Canberra Times (Nexis) 15 Mar. Sometimes healthy relationships require self-restraint and self-quieting, deference and respect.
(b)
self-advertising n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈadvətʌɪzɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈædvərˌtaɪzɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1762 O. Goldsmith Life R. Nash 13 Little Things..without merit..by self-advertizing, attract the attention of the day.
1825 Medico-chirurg. Rev. 2 p. iv, (heading) Philo-Medicus on Self-Advertising, and on the Comparative Importance of Certain Medical Degrees.
1909 E. Banks Myst. Frances Farrington 280 Contain yourself in the matter of self-advertising.
2016 Toronto Star (Nexis) 2 Jan. b1 Self-advertising did not use to be part of the political scene.
self-doctoring n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdɒkt(ə)rɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdɑkt(ə)rɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1817 J. Austen Sanditon v, in Minor Wks. (1954) 388 I can be no Judge of what the habit of self-doctoring may do.
1916 Lancet-Clinic 12 Feb. 148/1 Irritating chemical substances used in attempts of self-doctoring.
2004 Guardian (Nexis) 30 July 22 A surf around self-harm websites will tell you that this kind of meticulous self-doctoring is common practice.
self-doubting n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdaʊtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdaʊdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. 115 She embraced me,..and cleared up all my self-doubtings.
1850 Morning Post 26 Sept. With the self-doubting of genius, trembling between hope and fear, Hayden himself led the performance of The Creation.
1913 T. P. C. Wilson Friendly Enemy i. 4 The ‘town’ airs..are a cloak to hide shy self-doubtings.
2016 Times (Nexis) 10 Sept. (Mag.) 53 I absolutely knew I was entitled... My mother made us know there is no self-doubting.
self-excusing n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻkˈskjuːzɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛkˈskjuːzɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪkˈskjuzɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛkˈskjuzɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1689 R. Baxter Eng. Nonconformity 291 Multitudes of them are hardened already by this seeming necessity into self-excusing, and a custom of neglecting all publick Worship.
1755 Let. 4 Jan. in J. Gillies App. to Hist. Coll. (1765) xii. 92 I have scarcely heard such a thing as self-excusing from one of them.
1828 Delaware Advertiser 11 Dec. Such is the self-excusing of many a careless creditor.
1904 New Cent. Path 26 June 18/1 If they do not do any self-excusing or self-justifying, and keep their eyes upon the ideal, they..will attain it.
2004 Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 15 Feb. 26 His buck-passing and self-excusing.
self-physicking n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfɪzᵻkɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfɪzəkɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1833 G. H. Bell Treat. Dis. Liver 116 Those who have gone through the system of self-physicking..almost invariably act on the belief ‘that they know something of their own constitutions’.
1902 Westm. Gaz. 11 Apr. 10/1 The habit of self physicking, often with powerful drugs, is on the increase.
2007 I. Burney in R. Bivins & J. V. Pickstone Med., Madness & Social Hist. iv. 47 Patients themselves could exercise powerful control over their own health and healing experiences, supported by a tradition of self-physicking.
self-poisoning n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪzn̩ɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪznɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪzn̩ɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪznɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1606 G. Closse Parricide Papist sig. C2 I dare not charge all, nor any of their complices which died in prison, to be guilty of Selfe-poysoning.
1848 Manch. Times 30 Sept. A verdict of self-poisoning with arsenic, whilst labouring under temporary insanity, was returned.
1907 W. James in McClure's Mag. (1908) Feb. 420/2 Democracy as a whole may undergo self-poisoning.
2006 J. Garbarino See Jane Hit vii. 186 78 percent of suicide attempts involved self-poisoning.
self-schooling n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈskuːlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈskulɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1828 Lit. Chron. & Weekly Rev. 23 Feb. 118 The familiar acquaintance with them [sc. the necessary sciences]..must have been the result of diligent self-schooling.
1915 Times 4 Jan. 5/6 He got up at 4 o'clock to read and study before he went to work and also put in ‘an hour or two’ at self-schooling in the evening.
2008 Econ. & Polit. Weekly 43 28/1 This was the initial self-schooling of the outstanding fiscal economist and fiscal policy adviser that we knew him to be in his later years.
self-scourging n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈskəːdʒɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈskərdʒɪŋ/
ΚΠ
a1663 D. Dickson Therapeutica Sacra (1664) i. iv. 55 Superstitious men..who, for pacifying of Gods wrath, have appointed pennances, and pilgrimages, and self-scourgings.
1847 Boston Investigator 17 Nov. A custom of self-scourging which was yearly practised by the monks.
2013 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 16 June 46 A Christian fanatic practising self-scourging in her suburban house.
self-teaching n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtiːtʃɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtitʃɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1656 R. Drake Bar against Free Admission to Lords Supper Fixed ii. vi. 458 If Self-examination exclude Church-examination, then pari ratione, Self-judging exclude Church-judging, and Self-teaching Church-teaching.
1830 Transylvania Jrnl. Med. 3 315 So common is self-teaching, that such individuals do not constitute a distinct class.
2016 Japan News (Nexis) 20 June 4 A correspondence education course, carried out principally on the basis of students' self-learning and self-teaching.
self-understanding n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfʌndəˈstandɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌəndərˈstændɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1608 H. Fitzsimon Catholike Confut. Ep. Ded. sig. iv It [sc. our ould profession] which consenteth to expositions of scripture allowed by all ancient fathers, and primatiue Doctors, for it [sc. this new] which standeth only to selfe vnderstanding.
1786 tr. E. Swedenborg Doctr. of Life for New Jerusalem (ed. 2) 66 They..who are not in the Propriety of their own Self-Will, and thereby not in the Propriety of their own Self-Understanding.
1863 Boston Investigator 21 Jan. It may seem very heroic on paper for a man thus to vaunt himself; but to me it appears an error in self-understanding.
1903 G. B. Shaw Man & Superman iii. 129 Life's incessant aspiration to higher organization, wider, deeper, intenser, self-consciousness, and clearer self-understanding.
2005 Yoga Jrnl. May 4 (advt.) The practice of yoga helps us gain self-understanding and therefore brings more balance and meaning into our lives.
c.
(a) With agent nouns.In quots. eOE, OE1, and OE2 respectively in Old English self-bana person who commits suicide (compare bane n.1), self-ǣta cannibal (compare eat v.), and self-cwala person who commits suicide (compare quele v., quell v.1).For a 15th-cent. formation see self-slayer n. For 16th-cent. formations see e.g. self-justifier n., self-pleaser n., self-flatterer n., self-lover n.
ΚΠ
eOE Corpus Gloss. (1890) 24/2 Biothanatas, seolfbonan.
OE Andreas (1932) 175 Ðu scealt feran..þær sylfætan eard weardigað, eðel healdaþ morðorcræftum.
OE Ælfric Homily: De Duodecim Abusivis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 296 Nan sylfcwala [a1225 Lamb. 487 seolf cwale], þæt is agenslaga, ne becymð to Godes rice.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 316 A blade, Wherewith vaine Man and his inueigled wife (Selfe-parricides) haue reft their proper life.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 296 Aquinas dareth do it to the proudest Mihi plaudo, Selfe-approver of them all.
1672 R. Baxter Church told of Bagshaw's Scandals ii. 16 What a forgetful self-contradicter is this man?
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. iv. 155 Such a one is in reality a Self-Oppressor, and lies heavier on himself than he can ever do on Mankind.
1729 C. Middleton Let. from Rome 51 That..Penance of the Flagellantes or Self-whippers.
1759 S. Johnson Idler 22 Dec. 401 If I had ever found any of the Self-contemners much irritated..by the Consciousness of their Meanness.
1780 F. Burney Jrnl. Apr. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 98 A self-piquer upon immense good breeding.
a1824 Ld. Byron Don Juan i. xv, in Wks. (1835) XV. 118 An all-in-all sufficient self-director.
1840 I. D'Israeli Misc. of Lit. (rev. ed.) 45/2 The letters of..Gray, Cowper, and Walpole.., self-painters.
1876 T. Hardy Hand of Ethelberta I. xxiii. 227 If I could only turn self-vivisector, and watch the operation of my heart.
1903 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 325 Impostors or at best self-deluders.
1925 Cent. Mag. Jan. 297/2 One of your bitterest opponents since the war..has been calling you a lot of awful names..‘despiser, distorter..irresponsible braggart, blaring self-trumpeter; idol of opaque intellectuals and thwarted females’.
1950 D. Gascoyne Vagrant 33 To be with God, and not pseudo-divine Scorn-inspired self-deceivers.
1976 Signs 2 343 Several researchers had noted in passing the compulsion of the self-starver to binge.
1988 N. Baker Mezzanine (1990) 125 Who bought this kind of book? I wondered. People like me, sporadic self-improvers, on lunch hours?
2016 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 18 Feb. b4/1 Kyle is a self-motivator... He had goals..so he's pushed himself and worked hard.
(b)
self-advertiser n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈadvətʌɪzə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈædvərˌtaɪzər/
ΚΠ
1837 London & Westm. Rev. Jan. 383 Being a triviality, superficiality, self-advertiser, and partial or total quack.
1921 W. B. Pitkin How to write Stories x. 217 A clever self-advertiser who believed that he could land the job by playing up his own abilities.
2013 Guardian (Nexis) 20 July (Review section) 8 He was a flamboyant self-advertiser who dripped superlatives, ornate insincerities and exotic effulgence.
self-poisoner n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪzn̩ə/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪznə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪzn̩ər/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈpɔɪznər/
ΚΠ
1830 New-Eng. Galaxy 8 Jan. The public continues to be pestered and mystified by the Fire-eaters, Self-Poisoners, &c.
2006 Science 24 Mar. 1713/1 Sri Lankan self-poisoners are not more keen to die—they simply have easier access to pesticides than do the residents of the UK.
self-promoter n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈməʊtə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈmoʊdər/
ΚΠ
1916 Jrnl. Educ. (Univ. of Boston School of Educ.) 24 Aug. 154/2 President Jessup is in no sense a self-seeker, much less a self-promoter.
2013 Vanity Fair Feb. 81/3 Trotter was also a press hound—a relentless self-promoter with a ravenous hunger for fame.
self-publicist n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpʌblᵻsɪst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpəbləsəst/
ΚΠ
1930 Bookman Oct. 8/1 He is a sentimentalist, self-publicist, paradox-monger and the world's best jester.
2009 I. Thomson Dead Yard ix. 112 To some branches of Rastafari, Jesuits are sinister self-publicists bent on disseminating ‘Romish’ propaganda.
self-punisher n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpʌnᵻʃə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpənɪʃər/
ΚΠ
1668 J. Dryden Of Dramatick Poesie 19 [Terence's] Heautontimorumenos or Self-Punisher.
1876 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 21 Dec. The self-punisher is about 55 years old and is said to have attempted to cut his throat in New Orleans some years ago.
2014 Canberra Times (Nexis) 18 Jan. a5 The self-punishers are an interesting lot, often brainy, hard-working, high-achieving and a bit anxious.
self-worshipper n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈwəːʃᵻpə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈwərʃəpər/
ΚΠ
1666 T. Watson Godly Mans Picture 114 It is idolatry; a proud man is a self-worshipper.
1744 Education 55 Disabused..by a thousand Examples of Folly amongst this Herd of Self-worshippers.
1848 H. Dunn Sketches i. iv. 56 Both are self-worshippers, ‘the eye’ of each is ‘ever on himself’.
1957 J. R. R. Tolkien Let. 25 June (1995) 259 Sauron had been attached to the greatest, Melkor, who ultimately became the inevitable Rebel and self-worshipper of mythologies that begin with a transcendent unique Creator.
2007 Observer (Nexis) 14 Jan. (Review section) 3 I'm surprised it took so long for those two publicity whores to get to the Mecca of self-worshippers.
d.
(a) With nouns of state or condition.For early (16th-cent.) formations of this type see also e.g. self-trust n., self-repugnance n., self-knowledge n., self-opinion n., self-contempt n.
ΚΠ
?1585 E. Aggas tr. E. de L'Allouette Catholicke Apologie ii. f. 90v The selfe ruine [Fr. leur propre ruine] and vtter extirpation of their wretched followers.
1631 R. Bolton Instr. Right Comf. Affl. Consciences 487 Sense of self-emptinesse, reverence, and praise-fulnesse.
1647 T. Fuller Cause Wounded Conscience ix. 67 Selfe-suspition of hypocrisie, is a hopefull symptome of sincerity.
1668 H. More Divine Dialogues i. xxx. 129 The last Attribute..that of Self-penetrability.
1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. III iii. 41 Pressing men to spiritual povertie, self emtinesse.
a1682 Sir T. Browne Christian Morals (1716) i. 24 Self-credulity, pride, and levity lead unto self-Idolatry.
1720 T. Boston Human Nature ii. 138 Self jealousy well becomes Christians.
1749 W. Melmoth Lett. by Sir Thomas Fitzosborne II. lxxi. 210 Self-weariness is a circumstance that ever attends folly.
1809 R. Hall On Work Holy Spirit (1813) 21 That self-recollection and composure, which are so essential to devotion.
1815 W. Wordsworth Sonnets Dedicated to Liberty ii. xv, in Poems (new ed.) II. 241 Happy occasions oft by self-mistrust Are forfeited.
1842 in H. W. Smith Christian's Secret Happy Life (1886) 79 A relinquishment of the principle of self-ownership.
a1861 E. B. Browning Mother & Poet in Last Poems (1862) 95 Some women bear children in strength, And bite back the cry of their pain in self-scorn.
1868 J. R. Lowell Dryden in Among my Bks. (1870) 40 He had more of that good luck of self-oblivion than most men.
1922 Times 31 May 17/6 When his chance came it found him ready, and he was able to grasp it with both hands, without any faltering of self-suspicion.
1946 D. Thomas Let. 30 May in Sel. Lett. (1966) 288 Inevitable moments of depression and self-mistrust.
1977 R. Holland Self & Social Context i. 20 From Freud they need clinical methods which give such primacy to the individual case but they dislike the ‘pathological’ self-picture.
1986 Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Aug. 896/3 Her tendency to self-idolatry and her not altogether implicit claims to divinity.
2003 Independent 13 Dec. i. 18/6 Such a proportion of land cannot bring self-sustainability and, once a month, the village receives government food parcels.
(b)
self-disgust n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻsˈɡʌst/
,
/ˌsɛlfdᵻzˈɡʌst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈskəst/
,
/ˌsɛlfdɪsˈɡəst/
ΚΠ
1814 Edinb. Rev. Sept. 289/1 That lassitude of self-disgust which it is impossible to fly.
1921 E. M. Hull Sheik v. 160 A self-disgust seized him. He had been within an ace of betraying the man.
2006 Yoga Jrnl. Aug. 66/3 When I examined my reflection, I saw all my shortcomings—inadequacy, shame, self-disgust, envy, anger—staring right back at me.
self-disrespect n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdɪsrᵻˈspɛkt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdɪsrəˈspɛk(t)/
ΚΠ
1814 Niles' Weekly Reg. 24 Dec. 258/2 I am on too bad terms with the world, to encounter my own self disrespect.
1938 Ld. Lymington Famine in Eng. 74 They are waiting to be led to salvation, and out of the slough of self-disrespect into which they have been driven.
2016 Canberra Times (Nexis) 24 Sept. When there's too many gifts under the Christmas tree and excitement turns into impatience and a slight self-disrespect as if you've been complicit in something distasteful.
self-infatuation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˌfatjʊˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪnˌfatʃʊˈeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˌfætʃuˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1828 New-Eng. Galaxy 9 Dec. 1/2 Such a deplorable instance of self-infatuation..calls for remonstrance.
1948 L. Spitzer Linguistics & Lit. Hist. iv. 156 An enthusiasm inspired by self-infatuation.
2015 New Yorker 16 Nov. 90 She..resented the ostentation of a love that can be hard to distinguish from self-infatuation.
e.
(a) With adjectives. Also with extended sense ‘relating to, involving, or characterized by the action, state, etc., denoted by the related noun’; cf. note at sense 2a(a)(i).In quot. eOE in Old English self-līce conceited, self-regarding (see self-liking adj.).
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xxvi. 183 Se welega bið eaðmod & sorgfull, & se wædla bið upahæfen & selflice.
1631 R. Bolton Instr. Right Comf. Affl. Consciences 392 Never to bee found in the affections of a Self-ignorant, Selfe-confident, unhumbled Pharisie.
1668 J. Corbet Second Disc. Relig. Eng. 16 Modestly..self-suspicious.
1698 J. Norris Pract. Disc. Divine Subj. IV. 300 God, who is such a Good, Bountiful, Self-Communicative, Self-diffusive, universalized Being.
a1711 T. Ken Hymns for Festivals in Wks. (1721) I. 326 We from our proneness to backslide, Self-jealous, shou'd in Thee confide.
1745 J. Mason Treat. Self-knowl. i. i. 8 Condemning others for the very Crimes we ourselves are guilty of,..which a self-ignorant Man is very apt to do.
1816 P. B. Shelley Dæmon of World in Alastor 87 Self-oblivious solitude.
1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess vii. 156 Self-reverent each and reverencing each.
a1863 R. Whately Misc. Remains (1864) 173 [A party] that assumes some self-laudatory title.
1867 J. R. Lowell Fitz Adam's Story in Poems (1912) 575 He went on with a self-derisive sneer.
1885 W. D. Howells Rise Silas Lapham xi. 213 A self-disdainful air.
1903 Speaker 6 June 232/2 Nothing exists..to keep together a body of weary and self-weary men.
1928 D. H. Lawrence Woman who rode Away & Other Stories 172 His rather hooked nose self-derisive.
1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 15 July h1 The future noblewoman's childhood was everything to create a depressed self-punitive cripple, and it largely succeeded.
2014 New Republic (Nexis) 12 May 45 The posture of skepticism is a wearisome one for the humanities,..when technology is so confident and culture is so self-suspicious.
(b)
self-analytical adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfanəˈlɪtᵻkl/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfænəˈlɪdᵻk(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1853 Brit. Controversialist 4 125 A lively consciousness, readily receptive of impressions and acutely self-analytical, can seldom..be incorrect in the formation of judgments of Taste.
1922 A. Myerson Found. Personality viii. 155 Soldiers, after gassing or cerebral concussion,..become apprehensive, self- analytical and without the least faith in themselves.
2002 E. C. Fernie in N. Y. Wu Ad Quadratum Introd. 1 Over the last two or three decades the history of art has become a significantly more self-analytical discipline.
self-corrective adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɛktɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɛktɪv/
ΚΠ
1827 Brit. Critic 1 426 An almost utter extinction and loss of that restorative and self-corrective power, which is necessary to preserve all institutions from decay.
1934 Mind 43 506 The inductive method is self-corrective.
2013 G. J. Schinasi Preserving Financial Stability 2 A stable financial system has the ability to limit and resolve imbalances, in part through self-corrective mechanisms, before they precipitate a crisis.
self-corroborative adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɒb(ə)rətɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɑb(ə)rədɪv/
ΚΠ
1827 J. Bentham Rationale Judicial Evid. III. v. xv. 224 We must..express the distinction between the two opposite kinds of evidentiary chains: styling the one, for example, the self-infirmative chain, we may style the other the self-corroborative.
1909 W. James Meaning of Truth xiii. 267 The hypothesis will, in short, have worked successfully all round the circle and proved self-corroborative.
1999 A. Combs et al. On becoming School Leader i. i. 19 The self-corroborative character of self-concept is a matter of far-reaching consequences in U.S. culture.
self-critical adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkrɪtᵻkl/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkrɪdək(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1841 Morning Chron. 26 Mar. 5/3 The author has completed her delineation of Vivia without rendering her more self-critical and conscious than might have comported her simplicity of character.
1936 Mind 45 98 This suggestion that art, like religion, is self-critical in its activity.
2010 Waterski July 63/2 It's equally bad if someone is constantly self-critical. No one wants to be around self-flagellation and tantrums all day.
self-generative adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdʒɛnərətɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdʒɛnərədɪv/
ΚΠ
1656 R. Fletcher Poems in Ex Otio Negotium 219 Thus the self generative streams brought forth Th' Amphibious brood of water and of earth.
1729 C. Place Ess. Vindic. Visible Creation 72 They are self-generative, and owe not their Constitution to other Systems.
1845 R. W. Hamilton Inst. Pop. Educ. x. 271 All popular opinion and information, which is wholesome and enduring, is self-generative.
1930 Philos. Rev. 39 107 The life that seems self-generative in the slimes of the sea's margins.
2009 P. Glennie & N. Thrift Shaping Day iii. 96 Natural processes are often very fast and show high levels of complex and self-generative organization.
self-neglectful adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfnᵻˈɡlɛk(t)f(ᵿ)l/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfnəˈɡlɛk(t)f(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. iv. 89 If a Creature be self-neglectful, and insensible of Danger.
1857 Bell's Life in London 19 Apr. 3/3 Sometimes he is all self-neglectful, and thinks of nothing but the Royalists.
1924 Mississippi Valley Hist. Rev. 11 10 They were singularly untouched by the self-neglectful impetuosity of crusading zealotry.
2006 Sunday Times (Nexis) 12 Nov. (Culture section) 48 He was often lonely, often drunk, often angry and almost always self-neglectful.
self-protective adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈtɛktɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈtɛktɪv/
ΚΠ
1829 Times 21 Oct. There is no reason why Russia, on self-protective principles, should seek so invidious a power.
1921 F. S. Mathews Field Bk. Wild Birds & their Music (rev. ed.) 222 Its colors are extremely self-protective; the upper parts streaked with sepia, ash white, and ocher.
2007 Bicycling Nov. 68/2 You can't ride harder just by realizing your subconscious brain is holding you back and then overriding this self-protective mechanism.
self-sure adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈʃʊə/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈʃɔː/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈʃʊ(ə)r/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈʃər/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈʃɔr/
ΚΠ
a1652 J. Cotton Pract. Comm. 1st Epist. John (1656) (v. 12) 402 Good duties, to which God usually leaves us, when we go about things in our own strength, and grow self-sure.
1832 Boston Investigator 17 Aug. The peasants near, would leave their wilting hay, Self-sure to coax his little keg away.
1918 G. Frankau One of Them in Poet. Wks. (1923) II. 75 Goddess indeed! A self-sure, jade-eyed, slim puss, of life's each latest luxury impassioned.
2011 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 9 July s1 I asked Mr. C—— if he thought that Bryce Harper was being too cocky, too self-sure.
f.
(a) With present participial adjectives. Also with extended sense ‘relating to, involving, or characterized by the action, state, etc., denoted by the related noun’; cf. note at sense 2a(a)(i).For an earlier example of a formation of this type see self-pleasing adj.
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xxii. sig. Dd2 With a certaine sincere boldenesse of selfe-warranting friendship.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Apol. Poetrie (1595) sig. D4 The selfe-deuouring crueltie in his Father Atreus.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 349 Foule squinting Enuie, that selfe-eating Elfe.
1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. iii. sig. Fv Euery proud and selfe-affecting Dame.
1647 C. Harvey Schola Cordis xxxi. 12 Or doth thy self-confounding fancy feare thee, When there's no danger neare thee?
1648 R. Crashaw Steps to Temple (ed. 2) 75 O soft self-wounding Pelican!
1650 R. Baxter Saints Everlasting Rest (1651) iii. v. §4 92 Those self-couzening, formal, lazie Professors of Religion.
1687 J. Norris Coll. Misc. 322 God..must needs be..self-imparting and communicative.
a1711 T. Ken Edmund iii. in Wks. (1721) II. 82 Past Vices gall his self-upbraiding Mind.
1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. ii. i. 40 Their Gravity doth so far over power their self attracting Power.
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 249 Shame upon a self-disgracing age.
1815 W. Wordsworth White Doe of Rylstone vii. 115 A self-surviving leafless Oak.
1825 W. Hazlitt Spirit of Age 186 A lofty and self-scrutinising ambition.
1849 J. D. Dana U.S. Exploring Exped.: Geol. (1850) ii. 107 The self-triturating sands of the reefs.
1857 P. H. Gosse Omphalos xii. 349 (note) The very supposition which he considers as self-refuting is an indubitable physiological fact.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda III. v. xxxv. 3 Self-lacerating penitents.
1877 E. Caird Crit. Acct. Philos. Kant ii. xi. 465 Whenever we conceive any object as self-differentiating.
1921 J. M. E. McTaggart Nature of Existence I. iv. xxxi. 299 Every substance which is a self-reflecting unity possesses two sorts of unity—organic unity and unity of self-reflection.
1938 R. Graves Coll. Poems p. xiii It is an exorcism of physical pretensions by self-humbling honesties.
1945 A. Koestler Yogi & Commissar iii. iv. 242 Koehler assumes that there are self-distributing electromagnetic currents between the cortical projections of retinal points.
1962 J. L. Austin et al. How to do Things with Words iv. 51 This commits you to it and refuses to commit you to it. It is a self-stultifying procedure.
1978 J. Dunn in C. Hookway & P. Pettit Action & Interpr. 156 Between a describer and a self-describing object there exist relations which are peculiar.
2016 Daily Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 11 Nov. 68 Entrepreneurial businessmen who know they are capable of doing a better job than most self-enriching politicians.
(b)
self-advertising adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈadvətʌɪzɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈædvərˌtaɪzɪŋ/
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1832 Patriot 22 Aug. 249/1 The party has told us that that other journal was not so coy; that such and such pretty self-advertising-eulogistic articles had appeared there.
1834 Satirist 30 Mar. 99/3 Among this multitude were the self-advertising Dr. Wade, the notorious radical pamphleteer.
1909 Standard 3 Mar. 6/7 His rugged practicality, and his self-assertive and too often self-advertising proclivities.
2015 Independent (Nexis) 17 Dec. 46 Trendy young directors..he dismissed as flavour-of-the-month juveniles and self-advertising ‘geniuses’.
self-aggrandizing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈɡrandʌɪzɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈɡrænˌdaɪzɪŋ/
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1820 Republican Compiler (Gettysberg, Pa.) 16 Feb. An unconquerable and self-aggrandizing aristocracy.
1969 Pop. Mech. Oct. 115/2 They..can't crank out these gratifying, self-aggrandizing symbols [sc. cars] fast enough.
2009 Rotarian Sept. 36/1 In the United States, apologies have become so rote,..insincere, and self-aggrandizing that most victims would rather not hear them.
self-analysing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈanəlʌɪzɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfˈanl̩ʌɪzɪŋ/
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1854 Critic 15 Aug. 440/3 What also is a self-conscious or self-analysing age but an irreligious age?
2016 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 12 June f9 After ‘Cabaret’, the self-analyzing musical became routine.
self-approving adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈpruːvɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈpruvɪŋ/
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1616 F. Rous Medit. of Instr. 77 Let vs not therefore forsake this inuincible rocke of Christian religion, euen a self-approuing, and selfe-establishing authority of the word.
1734 A. Pope Ess. Man: Epist. IV 245 One self-approving Hour whole years out-weighs Of stupid Starers.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. iii. 61 A self-approving smile.
2011 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 16 Aug. br1 Imperious, self-approving, utterly self-confident.
self-betraying adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfbᵻˈtreɪɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfbəˈtreɪɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfbiˈtreɪɪŋ/
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1625 W. Crosse Belgiaes Troubles & Triumphs ii. 62 He cashieres the rest Of that defeated selfe-betraying rabble.
1749 Eighth Let. Farmer to Electors Dublin 11 Liberty, the Sacred Trust of divine and inestimable Value, which God, Nature, Reason, and confederating Society, have reposed in wicked and Self-betraying Hands.
1943 Rev. Eng. Stud. 19 31 By Emilia's disclosures and lago's self-betraying resentment, he recovers something of his old stately and generous self.
2009 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 1 Aug. a19 If Canada is to know its own proud history, educators must emancipate the Canadian memory from these self-betraying falsehoods.
self-consoling adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkənˈsəʊlɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfkənˈsoʊlɪŋ/
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1803 Weekly Visitor, or, Ladies' Misc. 5 Mar. 173/3 The self-consoling fiend of undetected crime.
1942 Amer. Jrnl. Econ. & Sociol. 1 197 Self-glorifying, self-consoling and responsibility-evading words and slogans.
2016 Observer (Nexis) 11 Sept. Cornwell became adept at covering his tracks and making up self-consoling stories.
self-consuming adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkənˈsjuːmɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfkənˈs(j)umɪŋ/
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1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. xi. sig. Nnv Fowle Gealosy, that..Mak'st the louing hart..Feed it selfe with selfe-consuming smart?
1683 I. Walton Chalkhill's Thealma & Clearchus 102 An old decrepid Hag,..withered with Despight And self-consuming Hate.
1761 P. Doyle tr. T. Tasso Delivery Jerusalem II. xx. 301 At first he seem'd astonish'd and amaz'd, Then burn'd with wrath and self consuming fire.
1839 T. De Quincey in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 9/2 The self-consuming energies of the brain, that gnaw at the heart and life-strings for ever.
1951 Crisis Jan. 6/1 The dogged, self-consuming attachment too many white southerners have to their split, two-colored world.
2013 Mod. Lang. Rev. 108 753 The poem as a self-consuming artefact that disappears into actual and stylistic obscurity.
self-correcting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɛktɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈrɛktɪŋ/
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1803 Crit. Rev. Feb. 147 The self-correcting principle of an animal body will be enabled to exert itself with the greatest vigour.
1908 Southern Reporter 45 842/2 The description..showed that the act of 1891 was the one which was intended to be amended, and consequently the mistake was self-correcting.
2006 Orion Nov. 1/1 The Gaia theory, the hypothesis that all life on Earth functions like a self-correcting organism.
self-delighting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈlʌɪtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈlaɪdɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfdiˈlaɪdɪŋ/
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1609 J. Hayward Strong Helper 105 This selfe-delighting & neighbour contemning age, wanton and excessiue one waie, but wanting and pitilesse another waie.
1845 Examiner 19 Apr. 243/3 A self-delighting, delicate, pampered mass Of flesh indulged in every luxury Folly can crave, or riches can supply.
2014 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 14 Dec. br16 Turning up his nose at the self-delighting verbal high jinks.
self-developing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈvɛləpɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈvɛləpɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfdiˈvɛləpɪŋ/
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1825 Examiner 14 Aug. 512/2 Her figures want the relief of the sculptor and the self-developing principle of the dramatist.
1913 H. W. Wright Self-realization 420 Striving to adapt the natural world to the needs of a society of free, self-developing persons.
2015 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 15 Mar. 18 What camera uses self-developing film to make an instant print?
self-doubting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdaʊtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdaʊtɪŋ/
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1658 T. Polwhele Ἀυθέντης 311 A self-doubting Christian will stand, when a self confident one will fall.
1818 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Aug. 510/2 That which is called faith among these men, is nothing more than the weak and self-doubting faith of necessity.
1917 Life 5 July 107/1 The spiritual exaltation of the self-doubting modern's discovery that danger drives out fear.
2016 Globe& Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 13 Aug. f1 The world sees Americans as self-confident, even cocksure, but they have a self-doubting, self-critical side, too.
self-enhancing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈhɑːnsɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛnˈhɑːnsɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfᵻnˈhansɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfɛnˈhansɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈhænsɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfˌɛnˈhænsɪŋ/
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1871 S. S. Hennell Present Relig. (1873) II. i. v. 346 Successive and self-enhancing Leaf-issues, having tendency by nature towards Flower-change.
1914 New Catholic World Mar. 722 A universe of self-regarding, self-directing, self-enhancing mankind.
2013 Church Times 30 Aug. 10/3 Self-enhancing, or extrinsic, values are centred on external approval or rewards, such as money, status, and power.
self-enjoying adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈdʒɔɪɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfɛnˈdʒɔɪɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈdʒɔɪɪŋ/
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1832 Tatler 13 Feb. 146/2 The most self-enjoying person..feels more disturbance at the little crosses and vexations of life than he who braves the cross-winds and buffets of the world.
1997 Independent (Nexis) 23 Mar. 32 This book's charm lies in its combination of self-enjoying light-hearted commitment to lucidity with perfectly expressed seriousness.
self-fearing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfɪərɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfɪrɪŋ/
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1647 T. Fuller Cause Wounded Conscience iv. 24 A wounded Conscience, selfe-fearing, selfe-frighted.
1792 J. Brown Christian Jrnl. (ed. 6) 192 An even, thorough paced, self-fearing and heart melting Christian is alway the best.
1862 Spectator 1 Feb. 124/1 We are..the most self-fearing of nations.
2011 V. Nicol Social Economies of Fear & Desire ii. iv. 93 The self-fearing self experiences moral suffering as a consequence of its self-induced inability to avoid pain through some form of moral self-control.
self-guaranteeing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɡarənˈtiːɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfɡarn̩ˈtiːɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɡɛrənˈtiɪŋ/
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1877 Index 22 Mar. 135/3 Your own undoubting certitude, whether based on the authority of Jesus or on the self-guaranteeing Intuition.
2011 Canberra Times (Nexis) 10 Feb. a15 There is nothing self-guaranteeing about any revolution.
self-hating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈheɪtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈheɪdɪŋ/
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1612 Great Brittans Mourning Garment xvii. sig. C2 To feed with view of their callamities Thy pensiue humour, and selfe-hating sight.
1856 Ladies' Cabinet May 229/2 Despairing and self-hating, in danger of imprisonment, and destitute of money or home.
1942 Jewish Social Stud. 4 3 Loyal Jews, struck by his unfavorable expressions on Jewish problems, have frequently been content to put him down as the ‘self-hating’ son of a renegade.
2006 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 27 July 49/2 Rochester plays the rogue, but he's really a self-hating soul in a state of despair.
self-healing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈhiːlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈhilɪŋ/
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1660 J. Gauden Κακουργοι 23 Contrary to the known laws, good constitutions and venerable customs of a people (which are the native and self-healing balsom of those great bodies).
1766 R. Andrews Odes to Charles Yorke 28 The deep solemn silence all combin'd, Sung to my Fancy this self-healing plaint.
1831 J. Q. Adams Eulogy J. Monroe 9 British authority was constantly administering this self-healing medicine to her own wrongs.
1904 Collier's 7 May 18/4 (advt.) The Original and only Puncture-proof and Self-healing Tire made.
2016 Toronto Star (Nexis) 22 Aug. e8 It's [sc. skin] a stretchy, self-healing protective barrier.
self-hurting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈhəːtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈhərdɪŋ/
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1579 H. Heron Kayes of Counsaile 86 To the rest I tel this tale to stop their own enuious conceit, & self hurting imagination.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. vii. 410 In a word, his self-hurting innocence declined into guiltinesse.
1750 Of Char. Men 14 The grasping Wish, the Heaven-instructing Prayer, the curse Self-hurting, and the Hope of Air.
1915 D. H. Lawrence Rainbow ii. 52 A burst of religious, self-hurting fervour had passed over the country.
2013 Toronto Star (Nexis) 2 Oct. a24 It's past time Ottawa drew the lesson from Smith's death and got self-hurting inmates the help they need.
self-ingratiating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˈɡreɪʃɪeɪtɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfɪŋˈɡreɪʃɪeɪtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈɡreɪʃiˌeɪdɪŋ/
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1872 A. W. Ward tr. E. Curtius Hist. Greece V. vii. iii. 301 The self-ingratiating charm of personal appearance.
2015 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 22 Oct. 24 Useless, self-ingratiating money-grabbers.
self-interpreting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˈtəːprᵻtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈtərprədɪŋ/
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1683 T. Beverley Catholick Catech. ix. 44 The plain, evident, and Self-Interpreting Oracles of Scripture.
1778 J. Brown (title) The self-interpreting Bible.
1834 N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 335 This language has its disadvantages, which, so long as it aspires to the character of a self-interpreting instrument of thought, are inseparable from the nature of its elements.
1935 A. C. Baugh Hist. Eng. Lang. vii. 266 One further habit which was somewhat weakened [in Middle English],..was that of combining native words into self-interpreting compounds.
2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 13 Jan. a15 Election outcomes are not self-interpreting.
self-mastering adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmɑːst(ə)rɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfˈmast(ə)rɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈmæst(ə)rɪŋ/
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1846 Monthly Relig. Mag. Nov. 485 There have been self-denying and self-mastering apostles, when mankind needed a ministry of love.
1930 Rotarian Jan. 50/3 None but a high-souled and self-mastering people could have planned or built the Parthenon.
1998 Weekly Standard (Nexis) 24 Aug. 38 Citizens who..will labor always to sustain their determination to be virtuous, self-mastering,..and educated liberally.
self-multiplying adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmʌltᵻplʌɪɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈməltəˌplaɪɪŋ/
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1676 B. Stonham Parable Ten Virgins Opened 147 That which is Spiritual, is of a self-multiplying Nature also.
1795 F. Plowden Church & State i. iv. 21 The omnipotent act of forming a self-multiplying species of rational beings.
1822 National Advocate, for the Country (N.Y.) 3 Sept. A self-multiplying store of gay thoughts, pleasant images, and delightful associations.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. i. 7 An animal body..is a self-stoking, self-adjusting, self-repairing, self-preservative, self-multiplying machine.
2010 Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 14 Nov. Diaries..are self-multiplying microbes of trouble.
self-negating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfnᵻˈɡeɪtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfnəˈɡeɪdɪŋ/
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1853 North Amer. & U.S. Gaz. (Philadelphia) 1 Sept. A natural, impulsive, and self-negating passion for helping and succoring those who clearly need help.
1963 L. Trilling in N. Frye Romanticism Reconsidered 83 One of Keats's boldest expressions of his sense that there is something perverse and self-negating in the erotic life.
2014 L. Rutherford Games & Warm Ups for Group Leaders (ed. 2) viii. 120 So many of us are trained to be so judgemental and critical, self-doubting and self-negating.
self-neglecting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfnᵻˈɡlɛktɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfnəˈɡlɛktɪŋ/
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1660 S. Clarke Lives Two & Twenty Eng. Divines 69 Do you see the man that goeth yonder,..in that self-neglecting garb and posture?
1745 J. Mason Treat. Self-knowl. iii. 199 O my wandering, Self-neglecting Soul.
1837 G. P. R. James Attila I. xi. 195 The number of the captives, who sat apart, with bending heads, and the self-neglecting look of utter despair.
1957 Austin (Minnesota) Daily Herald 15 May 4/2 Alcoholics remain a neglected and self-neglecting part of the population.
2009 Times (Nexis) 1 Dec. (T2 section) 13 Drug treatment has been successfully used with self-neglecting older adults.
self-observing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəbˈzəːvɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfəbˈzərvɪŋ/
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1650 J. Sheffield Good Conscience xii. 140 But the Right tendernesse of Conscience is that due Proportion of sense in an awakened self-observing spirit.
1868 Independent Press Ripley, Ohio The morbid feeling of his own pulse by a sickly self-observing invalid.
1961 Times 23 Mar. 17/2 The anti-hero, oddly likable and self-observing.
2012 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 21 June 9 Meditating..requires toleration for the repetitive, inane..thoughts that float through the self-observing consciousness.
self-ordering adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɔːd(ə)rɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɔrdərɪŋ/
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1803 W. O. Pughe Geiriadur Cynmraeg a Saesoneg: Welsh & Eng. Dict. II Ymdrevnawl, a. (ymdrevyn) Self-ordering.
1853 T. E. Poynting Temple of Educ. xiii. 205 The moral or self-ordering—the religious—and the benevolent feelings.
1923 J. S. Huxley Ess. Biologist vi. 217 A universe which the march of knowledge is showing us ever more clearly as self-ordered and self-ordering.
2011 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 8 Apr. c27 The room–window–view equation turned out to be a satisfying, self-ordering arrangement.
self-organizing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɔːɡənʌɪzɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfˈɔːɡn̩ʌɪzɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɔrɡəˌnaɪzɪŋ/
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1812 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) III. 413 The rapid Increase both of inorganized, and of self-organizing Power & Action throughout the Kingdom.
1958 R. Williams Culture & Society iii. 298 The development of an organized and self-organizing working class.
2016 Toronto Star (Nexis) 13 Sept. a13 Like many other self-organizing groups with no real power base, they can't do much.
self-promoting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈməʊtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈmoʊdɪŋ/
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1659 Short Disc. Work of God in Nation 7 He rules in a self-promoting and self-securing way, contrary to Gods heart, and to the common right.
1767 T. Underwood Snarlers 20 At this he starts..attacking Foes and Friends, With Self-promoting Interest in View, He mangles all Respect.
1860 F. D. Huntington Christian Believing & Living viii. 250 Salvation is not a thrifty, self-promoting concern, by which we just graze and enter the gates of Eden.
1921 D. Snedden Sociol. Determination Objectives in Educ. viii. 158 A horde of self-promoting avaricious exploiters of popular credulity and private wealth.
2010 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 25 Nov. 58/4 Maybe the whole Internet will simply become like Facebook: falsely jolly, fake-friendly, self-promoting, slickly disingenuous.
self-punishing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpʌnᵻʃɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpənɪʃɪŋ/
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a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. xviii. sig. Ss3v To witnesse a selfe-punishing repentaunce.
1697 J. Wade Pract. Disc. Confession 216 The poor penitent Sinner..may use Self-punishing troublesome Postures in his Confessions and Prayers.
1756 R. O. Cambridge Fakeer 51 Can his Mercy approve a self-punishing Sect?
1836 H. Smith Tin Trumpet I. 125 In its self-punishing operation, it generally weakens the mind.
1931 Motor Boating June 33 Motor boating..is the ultimate of clean, fierce, self-punishing sportsmanship.
2003 C. Mendelson Daughters of Jerusalem 159 It is a miniature castle for frightened self-punishing weirdos.
self-purifying adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpjʊərᵻfʌɪɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfˈpjɔːrᵻfʌɪɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpjʊrəˌfaɪɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1683 Apol. for God's Worship & Worshipers 360 Turn all your self-admiring Mirrours, into self-purifying Lavers.
1827 R. Pollok Course of Time II. vii. 84 Self-purifying, unpolluted sea!
1941 Life 2 June 65/2 (advt.) No other cold cream contains the self-purifying ingredient which makes Woodbury Cold Cream germ-free.
2015 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 5 Dec. 12 This convenient self-purifying water bottle comes with a built-in water filter system.
self-recognising adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛkəɡnʌɪzɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛkəɡˌnaɪzɪŋ/
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1853 Patriot 24 Nov. 777/5 The eloquent Preacher proceeds to exhibit the moral significance of the Apostle's language, as being that of conscious sincerity and self-recognising integrity.
1964 Punch 20 May 760/3 His..reaction..is bitterly self-recognising.
2009 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 276 1672/2 What do self-recognizing species have that non-self-recognizers do not?
self-renewing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈnjuːɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfriˈn(j)uɪŋ/
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a1648 Ld. Herbert Occas. Verses (1665) 54 Do you not spring Pleasure of such a kind, as truly is A self-renewing vegetable bliss.
1792 B. Gerrans tr. Z̤iyāʼ al-Dīn Nakhshabī Tales of Parrot 117 The imperial self-renewing phœnix had sunk into her Egyptian porch.
1826 Morning Post 18 Nov. While fierce reflection yields the tortured brain No throbless pause from self-renewing pain.
1977 J. L. Harper Population Biol. Plants 306 The food of an animal is self-renewing.
2005 M. Bjornerud Reading Rocks vi. 181 His vision of a self-renewing, self-repairing Earth.
self-repeating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈpiːtɪŋ/
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U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈpidɪŋ/
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/ˌsɛlfriˈpidɪŋ/
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1824 La Belle Assemblée Oct. 168/2 In a very quaintly-written, self-repeating ‘Introduction’, Mr. Irvine prides himself on the ‘sound moral’ which each of his pieces ‘contains’.
1969 New York 1 Sept. 50 Where is..the master of baroque counterpoint to compose a self-repeating fugue about Philharmonic Hall and its acoustics?
2003 Pop. Sci. Jan. 40/2 Fractal, or self-repeating, patterns.
self-replicating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛplᵻkeɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛpləˌkeɪdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1946 F. M. Burnet Virus as Organism in Physiol. Zool. 19 337/1 Nothing but a shadowy, self-replicating residuum of genetic mechanism.
1968 Times Lit. Suppl. 4 Apr. 358/2 DNA..which is a self-replicating molecule.
2015 BBC Focus Christmas 14/2 I have never been concerned that self-replicating super-robots will wipe out the human race.
self-supplying adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfsəˈplʌɪɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfsəˈplaɪɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1679 L. Hutchinson Order & Disorder i. 5 No streams can shrink the self-supplying spring.
1825 Republican 18 Feb. 222 The human body, as a whole, is a self-moving, self-supplying, steam-engine, not of a horse-power, but of a man or woman-power.
1946 Nature 2 Nov. 606/1 A permanent self-supplying community of professional miners.
2002 Hist. Archaeol. 36 156/2 The internment camps, like the relocation centers, operated as self-supplying agricultural and work sites.
self-teaching adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtiːtʃɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtitʃɪŋ/
ΚΠ
a1665 R. Gell Remaines (1676) ii. 324 Poverty is a compendious, self-sufficient, self-teaching virtue.
1832 J. Emerson Poetic Reader 16/1 Such rules may yet be written upon this subject, as may be highly useful to the self-teaching pupil.
1915 Motor World 24 Feb. 9/2 Develop salesmen so they will be self-teaching.
2017 Vanity Fair (Nexis) Apr. 116 All of these small advances are part of the chase to eventually create flexible, self-teaching A.I. [= artificial intelligence] that will mirror human learning.
self-torturing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtɔːtʃərɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtɔrtʃərɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1629 P. Massinger Roman Actor sig. D2 The basenes Of a selfe torturing miserable wretch Truely describ'd that I much hope the obiect Will worke compunction in him.
1731 D. Mallet Eurydice ii. ii. 25 O my lov'd Lord, beware Of that destroyer, that self-torturing fiend, Who loves his pain.
1816 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto III lxxvii. 43 The self-torturing sophist, wild Rousseau.
1907 A. C. Benson Altar Fire 134 The religion recommended was a religion of scrupulous saints and self-torturing ascetics.
2016 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 15 Oct. 20 A self-torturing drunk and secret poet destined to follow his father into a pastoral career before being seduced by rock'n'roll.
†g. With verb stems, forming adjectives. Obsolete. rare.See also self-kill adj.
ΚΠ
?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) xvi. 243 The selfe-tyre barking Dogs [Gk. κύνες ὑλακόμωροι].
h. With verbs and present participles.Usually forming intransitive verbs, but in quot. 1609 forming a transitive verb with a causative sense.
ΚΠ
1609 W. M. Man in Moone sig. C2 This pretious weede..doth so selfe-besot those which take it.
a1618 J. Sylvester Mottoes in tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Diuine Weekes & Wks. (1621) 1193 In Fire, Air, Earth, Water, The World self-drowns, self-burns, self-hangs, self-slaies.
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey II. vi. 170 The King..self-considering, as he stands, debates.
1820 J. Keats Lamia i, in Lamia & Other Poems 11 She..cower'd..self-folding like a flower That faints into itself at evening hour.
1858 H. W. Longfellow Courtship Miles Standish vii. 58 Then stood Pecksuot forth, self-vaunting.
1921 Amer. Jrnl. Anat. 29 354 This highly differentiated tissue is now considered to self-develop.
2017 E. Shiraev Personality Theories vi. 193 People tend to self-punish too much and self-reward too little.
i. With adverbs, related to actual or possible formations in senses 1e(a), 1f(a).
ΚΠ
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1958) IX. 138 To come..so selfe proditoriously, as to betray himselfe..to his enemies.
a1649 G. Abbott Brief Notes Psalms (1651) xxxiv. 120 The Lord..doth deliver them that self-judgeingly in the sense of their unworthiness in time of misery seek to him for mercy.
1705 J. Gordon Diary 18 Nov. (1949) 149 On wch terms my father is willing, very selfdenyingly, not to be seen in them.
1758 H. Lee Sophron II. 241 A generated divinity..a kind of subordinate God..not self-existently, not unoriginately so.
1842 Universalist & Ladies' Repository Aug. 74 ‘Never mind,’ the mother would self-consolingly remark, ‘his father was so before him, and was none the worse for that.’
1860 Preston Chron. & Lancs. Advertiser 11 Aug. 3/6 Come at once humbly, hopefully, prayerfully, God-fearingly and self-distrustingly.
1890 Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Mar. 5/2 He self-consolingly exclaimed, ‘Le roi me reverra.’
1899 Westm. Gaz. 8 June 2/1 The figure seems..self-cognisably burthened with the griefs of all the generations.
1905 Ethical Addr. & Ethical Rec. 12th Ser. 73 The conscience of mankind should be so organised that it can speak effectively, consciously and always self-critically.
1933 W. H. Auden Dance of Death 32 Self-understandingly I come.
1966 S. Beer Decision & Control xiv. 346 More typically, and more ‘self-organizingly’, we say that energy evens out.
2013 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 26 Aug. c4/2 ‘Salinger’, self-promotingly described on its cover as ‘The Official Book of the Acclaimed Documentary Film’, is not a conventional biography.
2.
a. Forming words in which self- denotes the agent or what is conceived of as the agent, with the sense ‘by oneself or itself; by one's own efforts or action (without assistance or external intervention)’.
(a)
(i) With past participles and participial adjectives. Also with related adverbs, and occasionally with other adjectives (see e.g. self-adhesive adj.).Such adjectives may designate a person who or thing which is the subject and object of the action, as self-chosen magistrates (= magistrates chosen by themselves); a thing that is operated upon, performed, produced, etc., by the person concerned, as self-produced goods (= goods produced by a person himself or herself); or a thing conceived of as operated upon by itself, as self-balanced drill (= a drill balanced without external support).When transferred from a person to his or her actions, attributes, etc., words of this type (like those at sense 1f(a)) acquire a wider meaning; thus self-abandoned = ‘abandoned by oneself’, and hence, ‘full of or characterized by self-abandonment’. In some cases the formations are analogical and do not lend themselves readily to such analysis; e.g. self-assured from self-assurance, self-denied from self-denial, self-mortified from self-mortification.For early (16th-cent.) examples of formations of this type see also e.g. self-made adj., self-governed adj.
ΚΠ
1592 Countess of Pembroke tr. R. Garnier Antonius ii, in tr. P. de Mornay Disc. Life & Death sig. I2 Vnhappy he, in whome selfe-succour lies, Yet self-forsaken wanting succour dies.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. viii. sig. G8v Selfe disliked life.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. ii. 49 His treasons will sit blushing in his face, Not able to endure the sight of day, But selfe affrighted tremble at his sinne.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 314 Their selfe-doomb'd soules [Fr. leurs esprits combatus du iuste iugement].
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 289 Rockes selfe-arched by the eating current.
1621 G. Sandys tr. Ovid First Five Bks. Metamorphosis i. 22 She starts; and from her selfe, selfe-frighted, fled [L. seque exsternata refugit].
1637 J. Milton Comus 21 It shall bee in eternall restlesse change Selfe fed, and selfe consum'd.
1654 J. Owen Doctr. Saints Perseverance xiii. 313 A vaine, superstitious, selfe-invented Worship of God.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 130 The first sort by thir own suggestion fell, Self-tempted, self-deprav'd.
1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 69 This lame and self-confuted Story.
1700 J. Dryden tr. Ovid Of Pythagorean Philos. in Fables 506 Self-banish'd [L. exul sponte] from his Native Shore.
1715 R. South 12 Serm. IV. 156 Self-befooled Sinners.
1738 G. Lillo Marina III. ii. 50 Self-resign'd to silence and despair.
1761 C. Churchill Night 6 Where virtue, self-approv'd, reclines her head.
1784 New Spectator No. i. 7 The self-be-paragraphed, the self-puffed and the self-adoring Mother Abington.
1797 R. Southey Vision Maid of Orleans iii The little glow-worm's self-emitted light.
1814 F. Burney Wanderer III. 107 Their honour was self-acquitted, and their generosity was self-applauded.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iv, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 116 His self-assumed profession of the law.
1844 P. Harwood Hist. Irish Rebellion 25 Hosts of armed citizens, self-paid and self-commissioned.
1846 J. D. Morell Hist. & Crit. View Speculative Philos. II. v. 117 We..come, at length, at the end of the process, to a self-produced, or rather a self-developed, subject-object.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. i. 2 A diamond is a crystal self-erected from atoms of carbon.
1868 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (1879) II. vi. 81 These molecular blocks of salt are self-posited.
1888 T. S. Kenderdine Calif. Tramp 348 The self-complacent, self-assumedly perfect man of to-day.
1889 Spectator 28 Dec. 922/1 A tax..self-levied.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvii. [Ithaca] 680 Ever he would wander, selfcompelled, to the extreme limit of his cometary orbit.
1924 W. B. Selbie Psychol. Relig. 55 They [sc. primitive religions]..become self-adjusted to man's growing intellectual capacity and needs.
1952 A. G. L. Hellyer Sanders' Encycl. Gardening (ed. 22) 240 H[ydrangea] petiolaris, self-clinging climbing species, white.
1965 J. Needham Sci. & Civilisation in China IV. ii. Pl. CXXXV following p. 70 (caption) A bronze wine-kettle..self-dated by an inscription.
1980 Jrnl. Chartered Inst. Building Services 2 49/1 An open coil spring..should..be of the free-standing variety, self-stable and designed with appropriate stiffnesses.
2015 L. A. Wilkinson Overcoming Anxiety & Depression on Autism Spectrum vii. 98 Don't criticize yourself or feel self-defeated if you do backslide.
(ii)
self-acknowledged adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəkˈnɒlɪdʒd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəkˈnɑlədʒd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌækˈnɑlədʒd/
ΚΠ
1681 J. M. Corker Stafford's Memoires 3 Captain Bedlow and Mr. Prance, self-acknowledged Partners in the Assasination.
1793 G. Huddesford Topsy Turvy 14 What guerdon shall Carra reward Whose fame self-acknowledg'd we dwell on?
1859 G. S. Sawyer Southern Inst. x. 386 They contend only for rights that are founded on self-acknowledged wrongs.
2016 Daily Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 11 Sept. 113 A self-acknowledged cat lover, he says he wanted the dragon to be cuddly.
self-authorized adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɔːθərʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɔθəˌraɪzd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈɑθəˌraɪzd/
ΚΠ
1642 Discov. Great Fantasie 15 Self-authorized Vicegerents.
1833 J. H. Newman Arians 4th Cent. i. 61 The self-authorised arbitrary doctrines of the heretics.
2014 Australian (Nexis) 22 Nov. 25 Mr Drake defended his self-authorised payments, saying he..had resolved to pay himself ‘on account of my services rendered as director’.
self-balanced adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈbalənst/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈbaln̩st/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈbælənst/
ΚΠ
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 242 Earth self-ballanc't on her Center hung. View more context for this quotation
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 348 Crutchless and self-balanced.
1930 Jrnl. Polynesian Soc. 39 182 It seems, therefore, that the self-balanced drill was well known in the North Island.
2015 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 27 Nov. a12 Legislation that would make the province the first to include self-balanced electric scooters in its Motor Vehicle Act.
self-betrayed adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfbᵻˈtreɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfbəˈtreɪd/
,
/ˌsɛlfbiˈtreɪd/
ΚΠ
1637 J. Sym Lifes Preservative against Self-killing xi. 110 (margin) Under pretence and colour of love and friendship to himselfe, he is self-betrayed, and self-destroyed.
1785 W. Cowper Tirocinium in Task 171 Self-betray'd, and wilfully undone. View more context for this quotation
1962 College Eng. 23 524/2 He was almost pathetically a man of the divided and self-betrayed modem mind.
2007 Forward 26 Oct. Coleman Silk's Greek tragedy of being the self-betrayed man in ‘The Human Stain’ is delivered to Zuckerman by Silk himself.
self-blessed adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈblɛst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈblɛst/
ΚΠ
1566 T. Heskyns Parl. Chryste ii. xx. f. cxxviiiv We with our bodie and into our bodie receaue that same self blessed bodie [of Christ].
1644 K. Digby Two Treat. ii. Concl. 455 To transforme me totally into a selfeblessed creature.
1743 D. Brooker Cathedral Music 2 The self-blessed God, who has innumerable Hosts of Angels paying him an eternal and unsullied Act of Praise.
1928 in Proc. Acad. Polit. Sci. 13 188 Management..has just become a self-blessed autocracy, that serves itself.
2013 R. Dinkel Call Signs p. xiv Senior squadron mates..will probably go far out of their way to ‘award’ those self-blessed Call Sign holders with a..‘different’ Call Sign.
self-blinded adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈblʌɪndᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈblaɪndᵻd/
ΚΠ
1598 Health to Gentlemanly Profession Seruingmen sig. G4v Such a selfe blinded bond of assurance, as they fall into consideration and warie waighing of all the surplussage to that charge belonging.
1640 W. Prynne Lord Bishops ix. sig. I6 If the Prelates were not selfe-blinded, they might discerne the reason.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend I. ii. xvi. 319 Her pompous, self-blinded father.
2016 Sunday Times (Nexis) 29 May (Culture section) 24 Antigone leads the self-blinded Oedipus to Athens.
self-built adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈbɪlt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈbɪlt/
ΚΠ
1761 W. Oliver Faint Sketch Life of Mr. Nash 3 His Public Character was great, As it was self-built and self-maintained.
1845 J. R. Lowell in Broadway Jrnl. 8 Mar. 154/2 The spirit's deathlessness, Which ye entertain with fear In your self-built dungeon here.
1935 Illustr. London News 14 Dec. 1099/3 (caption) Mr. S. V. Appleby leaving the English coast in his self-built machine.
2016 Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 30 July 86 Ben lives with Ian in his self-built ‘off the grid’ house, complete with compost toilet and rainwater tanks.
self-caused adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkɔːzd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkɔzd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈkɑzd/
ΚΠ
1623 E. Dalton Πολεως ναω δαϕνη 183 Selfe-caused woe is a festring wound.
1839 H. Hallam Introd. Lit. Europe IV. iii. 247 Every substance therefore is self-caused; that is, its essence implies its existence.
2016 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 4 Feb. 6 The initial ATF raid was a self-caused disaster.
self-chosen adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtʃəʊzn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtʃoʊz(ə)n/
ΚΠ
?1555 M. Coverdale tr. O. Werdmüller Godlye & Learned Treat. xviii. sig. H.iii A godly commendacion of self chosen relygion or gods seruice, and of workes that spring of our owne good meanynges and good intentes.
?1614 W. Drummond Sonnet: Sound Hoarse Sad Lute in Poems To ease selfe-chosen paine.
1756 Addr. Electors of Eng. 23 Their self chosen magistrates chuse the deputies to the states general.
1879 O. Hill Let. to my Fellow-workers 5 You have not felt the duty a self-chosen one.
2005 M. David Slow Down Diet i. 28 This self-chosen stress feels energizing.
self-conceived adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkənˈsiːvd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkənˈsivd/
ΚΠ
1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love i. ii. sig. B3v To beare to deepe a sence, Of her owne selfe-conceiued excellence. View more context for this quotation
1797 Milistina I. iii. 23 Relaxing in a degree from his self-conceived exalted eminence, he addressed Milistina most courteously.
1867 Newcastle Courant 3 May All its monstrous crimes had been self-conceived and bred within its own bosom.
1973 Cincinnati Mag. Apr. 58/2 He is the architect, and the dance is his self-conceived blueprint.
2008 Evening News (Edinb.) (Nexis) 19 June 20 The only person to blame for my life is me. My life became a litany of disasters that were self-conceived.
self-declared adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈklɛːd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈklɛ(ə)rd/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈklɛ(ə)rd/
ΚΠ
1795 A. L. in Freemason's Mag. Mar. 173 I have made an impartial summary of all the most pointed arguments..for and against this self-declared prophet.
1960 M. G. Smith et al. Ras Tafari Movement in Kingston, Jamaica ii. 13 These men of dreadlocks were the Ethiopian Warriors and the self-declared Niyamen.
2015 New Yorker 1 June 75/1 The narrator of this artful novel is a self-declared ‘hyper-slacker’.
self-defined adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈfʌɪnd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈfaɪnd/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈfaɪnd/
ΚΠ
1781 London Courant 14 Feb. To execute his divine will, by continuing the Supreme Court at Calcutta, with their present unlimited jurisdiction and self-defined power.
1854 J. H. Hinton Hist. & Topogr. U.S. I. vi. 525/1 California was still standing at the door of the Union,..its boundaries self-defined, its constitution self-formed.
1934 Harvard Law Rev. 47 475 These are among the self-defined uncomfortable or inconvenient rather than socially undesirable practices.
2002 Dissent Spring 42/2 They want a new minority, a subculture of self-defined radicals.
self-described adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈskrʌɪbd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈskraɪbd/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈskraɪbd/
ΚΠ
1820 G. M. Burrows Inq. Errors Relative to Insanity ix. 216 The self-described precursory state of the patient.
1976 N.Y. Times 5 June 12/8 A self-employed iron worker with a self-described ‘Archie Bunker’ perception of the world.
2015 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 14 Oct. b6/1 Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist.
self-educated adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɛdjᵿkeɪtᵻd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈɛdʒᵿkeɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɛdʒəˌkeɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1761 tr. Abu Bakr Iban A Tufail (title) The life and surprizing adventures of Don Antonio de Trezzanio, Who was Self-Educated, and lived Forty-Five Years in an uninhabited Island in the East-Indies.
1818 M. W. Shelley Frankenstein I. 12 It is a still greater evil to me that I am self-educated.
1922 Illustr. World Sept. 32/2 Self-educated workers are preferred because they have already proved themselves.
2014 Church Times 14 Feb. 28/2 A largely self-educated man, Henson set out to make his mark by the force of his intellect.
self-excluded adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻkˈsluːdᵻd/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛkˈsluːdᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪkˈskludəd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛkˈskludəd/
ΚΠ
1746 J. Brekell Liberty & Loyalty 24 Yet is he disqualified in the very nature of things to maintain our just rights and privileges, being self excluded, and self abdicated by his own destructive principles.
1804 Boston Weekly Mag. 6 Oct. 198/2 This hermitess..has spent 23 of her best years, self excluded from all human society.
1920 W. R. Inge Truth & Falsehood in Relig. 168 We are self-excluded from the glorious inheritance which God intended for us.
2016 Daily Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 9 Jan. 7 Of the 724 people excluded from the casino, 304 of those were self-excluded—gamblers who asked to be banned from the venue due to their addiction.
self-fed adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfɛd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfɛd/
ΚΠ
1607 T. Ford Musicke of Sundrie Kindes sig. B1v It is a selfe fed dying hope A promisde blisse, a saluelesse sore, An aimelesse marke.
1779 W. Cowper in J. Newton & W. Cowper Olney Hymns iii. lxvii. 391 What seem'd his own, a self-fed spring, proves but a brook that glides away.
1816 H. H. Milman Fazio (ed. 2) i. i. 3 Love is a fire self-fed, and does not need Hope to preserve its flame.
1918 B. E. Rothgeb Standard Broom Corn 13 There are now in common use two different makes of these thrashers, one hand fed and the other self fed.
2013 Irish Times (Nexis) 19 Feb. 9 The only worry Kelly has is whether self-fed babies can get enough iron in their diet because it is hard for them to chew on red meat.
self-generated adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdʒɛnəreɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdʒɛnəˌreɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1654 J. Ellistone & J. Sparrow tr. J. Böhme Mysterium Magnum xxx. 177 Unlesse you do depart from, and utterly disclaim the will of the Selfe-Generated Beast, and enter again into the form of the first Life.
1753 W. Jones Full Answer to Ess. on Spirit vii. 181 The self-sufficient God shone himself out; for which reason, he is self-generated and self-sufficient; for he is the beginning, and the God of Gods.
1856 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 28 Oct. 441/2 Predisposition exists..to idiopathic and self-generated disease.
1935 M. Lowenfeld Play in Childhood i. 37 Play..is taken as applying to all activities in children that are spontaneous and self-generated.
2016 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 10 Oct. a1 A succession of self-generated controversies that culminated..in the release of a 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women.
self-hid adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈhɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈhɪd/
ΚΠ
1621 G. Sandys tr. Ovid First Five Bks. Metamorphosis ii. 38 Selfe-hid within the womb where they were bred.
1820 J. Keats Hyperion: a Fragm. i, in Lamia & Other Poems 154 The Titans fierce, self-hid, or prison-bound.
2000 Esquire June 78/3 He was largely self-hid and frequently crippled by drink.
self-invited adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˈvʌɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈvaɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
a1644 F. Quarles Virgin Widow (1649) i. i. 11 At old Artesio's House, where he was late Received as a self-invited Guest.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VII. lxxxiii. 288 Some other more distant relations.., self-invited..attended.
1839 Times 25 Feb. 4/2 What must be the hourly but self-invited mortifications of a Ministry dependent on such a race!
1925 Amer. Mercury Aug. 474/2 Yet what keeps my pen from its self-invited job?
2013 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 23 July (Sport section) 18 Accommodation is as a self-invited guest sharing the communal bed of the large nomadic families.
self-mastered adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmɑːstəd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈmastəd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈmæstərd/
ΚΠ
1849 M. Arnold Strayed Reveller, & Other Poems 3 When the dup'd soul, self-master'd, claims its meed.
1926 PMLA 41 561 This concept of Temperance as self-mastered calm encircled..by a thousand beleaguering passions.
2005 M. K. Asante & A. Mazama Encycl. Black Stud. 315/2 The truly self-mastered person who..is in harmony..and whose life is in order.
self-mortified adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmɔːtᵻfʌɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈmɔrdəˌfaɪd/
ΚΠ
1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xv. 68 The poor, low, creeping, abject, Self-mortify'd and Master-mortify'd Mrs. Jewkes.
1829 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 30 July I never got into a passion without afterwards feeling somewhat self-mortified.
1918 G. L. Strachey Landmarks in French Lit. in Country Life 21 Sept. 245/2 He sank into a torpor of superstition—ascetic, self-mortified and wrapt in a strange exaltation like a mediæval monk.
2008 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 1 June (Mag.) 62 Galchenko tells this story in his usual self-mortified, isn't-it-hilarious-how-lame-I-am? tone.
self-multiplied adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmʌltᵻplʌɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈməltəˌplaɪd/
ΚΠ
1644 K. Digby Two Treat. Concl. 464 Who can looke vpon the selfe multiplyed vnity, vpon the incomprehensible circumincession, vpon those wondrous processions, and idiomes reserued for Angels eyes?
1781 C. Lofft Eudosia vi. 139 So view Philosophers the sinking ray, Which twice twelve years, self-multiplied, is deem'd Scarce in completed period to restore.
1819 W. Wordsworth Waggoner iv. 64 The vapours sweep Along..Like fleecy clouds self-multiplied.
1907 E. Montgomery Vitality& Organization Protoplasm 25 Aggregations of self-multiplied biophores, which are able to determine or reproduce nothing but their own likeness.
2009 Korea Times (Nexis) 22 Mar. Any of this accumulated and self-multiplied injustice can trigger the Korean heart to display an incredibly intense outburst of feelings and actions.
self-organized adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɔːɡənʌɪzd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈɔːɡn̩ʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɔrɡəˌnaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1793 Diary; or, Woodfall's Reg. 2 Jan. A body of men self-created and self-organized.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. I. 336 The notion that the English Church could and should subsist as a separate communion,..self-governed, self-organized.
1920 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 26 200 To encourage pupils to..engage in self-organized group work.
2006 Rowing News Mar. 34/2 A few of their Canadian counterparts..took matters into their own hands with a self-organized training camp.
self-procured adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈkjʊəd/
,
/ˌsɛlfprəˈkjɔːd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈkjʊ(ə)rd/
,
/ˌsɛlfproʊˈkjʊ(ə)rd/
ΚΠ
1584 W. Warner Pan his Syrinx xliv. sig. Q4v Xenarchus (for yet he liued) with fainting tounge endeuoured to..acquite his inforsed foe Mazeres of his selfe procured death.
1647 C. Harvey Schola Cordis iv. 8 Why dost thou hugge thy self-procured woes?
1780 R. De Courcy Seducer Convicted 38 He had been apprehensive of his self-procured disgrace.
1921 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 10 Dec. 986/2 Where the abortion was self-procured the duty of the doctor was to be silent.
2013 Aberdeen Press & Jrnl. (Nexis) 19 June 16 In 2007, there were 650 individual houses, which would be self-procured, if not self-built.
self-produced adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈdjuːst/
,
/ˌsɛlfprəˈdʒuːst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈd(j)ust/
,
/ˌsɛlfproʊˈd(j)ust/
ΚΠ
1696 W. Williams Heaven End of Man x. 148 Thy Necromantick Fabrick, never to be blown up by thy self-produced Powder-Plot.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VI. 356 Their shell is self-produced.
1851 Frederick Douglass' Paper (Rochester, N.Y.) 30 Oct. The following is about the amount of our self-produced literature.
1941 Economica New Ser. 8 334 That portion of their output which they are obliged to sell..for the purchase of household goods not self-produced.
2015 N.Y. Mag. 29 June 104/2 (advt.) This open-access, unjuried film festival is full of interesting self-produced works.
self-schooled adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈskuːld/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈskuld/
ΚΠ
1849 M. Arnold Strayed Reveller, & Other Poems 50 Self-school'd, self-scann'd, self-honour'd, self-secure.
1954 Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Jan. 33/4 The clumsy power and erratic aptness of Hardy's language denote a man who was in part self-schooled.
2009 Alcalde (Univ. Texas) Jan.–Feb. 24/1 A classic larger-than-life Texan: Civil War veteran, self-schooled lawyer and doctor.
self-sentenced adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsɛnt(ə)nst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsɛntnst/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈsɛn(t)ənst/
ΚΠ
1646 S. Bolton Arraignm. of Errovr 137 Being self-condemned, he sins against the secret checks of his own conscience, he is self-sentenced.
1892 F. Adams Melbournians iii. iii. 286 The sweet heroic darling exacting of her own hand every lash of her self-sentenced punishment.
1994 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 15 Aug. 10 It's a sordid tale of one women's self-sentenced trial by sex in sleazy rooms.
self-sold adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsəʊld/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsoʊld/
ΚΠ
?1769 Dunniad 62 Can virtuous Men approve such Things as these? Can they—or ought but self-sold Monsters please?
1840 Era 29 Mar. 325/1 A traitor—a vile, venal, self-sold slave to the mortal enemies of his sovereign.
1924 G. B. Shaw St. Joan Pref. p. lii We do not..rush to the opposite extreme in a recoil from her as from a witch self-sold to the devil.
2006 Times (Nexis) 15 Mar. (Times2 section) 17 The 23-year-old North London MC whose self-sold mixtapes won him a Best Hip-Hop Artist award.
self-stimulated adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈstɪmjᵿleɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈstɪmjəˌleɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1835 Eclectic Rev. July 75 The free and self-stimulated researches of ripened intellect are to be conducted on different principles from the enforced studies of early pupilage.
1936 Ann. Amer. Acad. Politic. & Social Sci. 186 1/1 It is not a sufficient explanation of this development to say that it is the result of the growth of economic nationalism, as though economic nationalism were a self-stimulated malignancy in the body politic.
2003 M. Sharma Achievem. Visually Handicapped ii. 27 These students can get self-stimulated light perception by rubbing their eyes.
self-written adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈrɪtn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈrɪtn/
ΚΠ
1553 Expos. Bks. Holie Script. sig. B.viiv The selfe written bookes of the bibles are no more the newe testament it selfe, then the tables & writings testamentarie.
?1791 ‘A. Pasquin’ Eccentricities J. Edwin II. 309 They will naturally run about the metropolis to exhibit the self-written eulogiums, and eventually assist the publication, by extending its influence.
1868 Newark (Ohio) Advocate 28 Feb. The record of one is written by Edwin M. Stanton; the record of the other is self-written.
1962 Motor Boating Feb. 111/1 Read Chubb's self-written, self-edited, self-published Guide.
2016 Sunday Times (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 16 Oct. Celeste Ntuli has audiences gasping for breath as they laugh at her authentic, self-written witticisms.
(b) With adjectives in -able (or -ible), and with related adverbs and nouns.
ΚΠ
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. iv. 565 Endowed with..Free-will, and consequently..Self-improvable and Self-impairable.
1769 J. Brown Dict. Holy Bible I. 522 Self-irreformable transgressors.
1782 J. Brown Compend. View Nat. & Revealed Relig. vi. i Their sinfulness, misery, and self-irrecoverableness.
1884 Trans. Homœopathic Med. Soc. Pennsylvania: 20th Ann. Session 183 It used to be popular to divide diseases into three great classes: those that are self-limiting or self-curable, those that require assistance to limit or cure them, and the incurable.
1920 Nelson Loose-leaf Med. VI. ii. (insert following p. 87) p. ii Cutaneous tittilation [sic]..is a tickling sensation, self-producible,..and removable by scratching or compression.
1928 C. S. Whitehead & C. A. Hoff Ethical Sex Relations (new ed.) i. viii. 308 The pus of a chancroid is..self-inoculable; or, a person having a chancroid is just as liable to be poisoned by the pus of his own sore as is a perfectly healthy individual.
1976 Amer. Archivist 39 530 Approximately 60 percent of the films in the archives are of the highly flammable and self-ignitable nitrocellulose base.
2014 Times 4 June 20/1 They spent £30,000 creating a self-sustainable private garden with a play area for their two children, chicken run and vegetable patch.
b. With nouns of action. See also self-assembly n. 2, self-selection n. 2, etc.
ΚΠ
1817 C. Cappe On Desirableness & Utility Ladies visiting Female Wards 14 The case of a Visitor is essentially different: there, no self choice takes place, but the Governors at large select.
1896 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 3 Nov. 5/4 The process, in short, appears to be this—first goods, then machinery, then self manufacture.
1922 D. J. Snider Biogr. Dante ii. i. 101 Of course he had to resort to self-publication, like quite all yeanling poets.
2013 J. Vlachojannis & S. Chrubasik in C. M. Brummett & S. P. Cohen Managing Pain 77 (heading) Self-treatment with food supplements or plant parts.
c.
(a) With verbs. Also with verb stems forming adjectives and derived nouns; see also self-build adj., self-drive adj. and n., etc.Sometimes overlapping with sense 1h.
ΚΠ
1906 Model Engineer & Electrician 8 Mar. 237/2 My difficulty is that it [sc. a motor] will not self-start with any one of the armature poles at the bottom.
1918 Amer. Catholic Q. Rev. Apr. 234 Let Ireland be restored her government and she will, as of old, not only be able to self-govern, but to serve as an example to other people.
1969 W. Alexander & A. Street Metals in Service of Man (rev. ed.) xvii. 238 The property of alloy steels of suitable composition to self-harden was first discovered by Robert Mushet in about 1868.
1993 Vegetarian Times Nov. 28/2 Self-bake bread sticks, cooked until they were ‘very toasty’.
2001 Nature 26 Apr. 1025/1 The same authors who self-archive continue to submit all their papers to their journals of choice.
2017 Times of India (Nexis) 5 June They have set up a self-check-in kiosk for people without luggage.
(b)
self-erect adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻˈrɛkt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈrɛk(t)/
,
/ˌsɛlfiˈrɛk(t)/
ΚΠ
1924 Motor 28 Oct. 697/1 The open tourer, with its self-erect transparent side screens.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 16 Feb. 20/2 (advt.) Self-erect cattle shelter.
1996 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 27 Jan. 46 Next to them I placed..a chainsaw, six rolls of adhesive tar paper and a self-erect double garage.
3. Forming words in which self- is adverbial.
a.
(a) With nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs, with the sense ‘for, with, in, into, on or upon, to or towards oneself or itself’ (as determined by the construction usually shown by the second element).For further early (16th-cent.) formations of this type see e.g. self-minded adj., self-glory n., self-witness n. at sense 6.
ΚΠ
1532 R. Whitford Pype or Tonne f. cci These thynges if they be nat kepte in ouer moche aboundaunce or superfluite, nor with a couetous mynde of selfe prouision: I thynke: bene tollerable.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) iii. sig. Gg4 These doubtful selfe-speches.
a1592 T. Watson Poems (1870) 179 Vnwise they were their sorrowes selfe procuring.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. i. 56 She cannot loue..She is so selfe indeared.
c1602 C. Marlowe tr. Ovid Elegies iii. viii. sig. E6v And knocks his bare brest with selfe-angry hands [L. infesta..manu].
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. ii. 60 Selfe-cruell Mothers.
a1634 G. Chapman Revenge for Honour (1654) ii. i. 202 Self-compassion, soothing us to faith Of what we wish should hap.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xvi. 323 Sullennesse and self-addiction, things ill beseeming his noble spirit.
1643 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce 37 Those commands..which compell us to self-cruelty above our strength.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 440 I will not think men that want Bread, do therefore want Wisdome (even that of Self-provision).
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 514 Self-displeas'd For self-offence.
1680 J. Quarles (title) Self-Conflict: or, the Powerful Motions between the Flesh and Spirit.
1694 R. South 12 Serm. II. 549 A fatal Self-imposture.
1726 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey V. xx. 36 Ulysses..In self-debate the Suitors doom resolv'd.
1727 W. Somerville Use of Looking-glass 14 On her the self-enamour'd chit Was very lavish of his wit.
1745 J. Mason Treat. Self-knowl. i. vii. 55 Self-acquaintance shews a Man the particular Sins he is most..addicted to.
1802 J. West Infidel Father III. 239 The earl..endeavoured to conceal his chagrin and self-dissatisfaction.
1814 W. Wordsworth Excursion i. 41 The careless stillness of a thinking mind Self-occupied.
1818 Art of preserving Feet 128 A mode of cure, less dangerous in the hands of a self-operator than the knife.
1819 Ld. Byron Mazeppa xvii. 732 At times sought with self-pointed sword.
1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xxx. 301 [She] in her self-engrossment did not trouble herself about the nature of this agitation.
1853 C. Kingsley Hypatia I. xiii. 273 He continued talking to himself aloud after the manner of restless self-discontented men.
1862 E. Bulwer-Lytton Strange Story II. v. 53 Intense self-concentration is..a mighty magician.
1870 J. H. Newman Ess. Gram. Assent ii. vi. 197 The enjoyable self-repose of certitude.
1875 J. R. Lowell Wordsworth in Lit. Ess. in Wks. (1890) IV. 406 His self-concentrated nature.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda II. iii. xxvi. 159 Its self-enclosed unreasonableness and impiety.
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles II. xxxvii. 241 Self-solicitude was near extinction in her.
1894 M. Oliphant Autobiogr. (1899) 81 I have fallen back into my own way of self-comment.
1903 F. W. H. Myers Human Personality I. 139 Some self-suggestive machinery by which the patient cures his toothache himself.
1920 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 27 Oct. (1977) 190 Don't you feel that what English writers lack today is experience of Life. I don't mean that superficially. But they are self-imprisoned.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. ix. [Scylla & Charybdis] 206 Amused Buck Mulligan mused in pleasant murmur with himself, selfnodding.
1940 Mind 49 171 All demonstration leads back to indemonstrable bases, and grounds must themselves be grounded on what is self-grounded.
1959 ‘M. Ainsworth’ Murder is Catching xv. 173 The sublime self-preoccupation of so many actors.
1981 V. Canning Boy on Platform One ii. 30 She felt a rare mood of self-dissatisfaction.
1987 New Lit. Hist. 18 443 Nietzsche..rejects only weak or pusillanimous fictions, images of our self-solicitude.
2016 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 22 June a12 They're engaging in self-injurious behaviors like cutting.
(b)
self-attachment n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈtatʃm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈtætʃmənt/
ΚΠ
1775 C. Cayley tr. M. Molinos Spiritual Guide ii. ii. 44 Virtue is established, self-attachments are rooted up, imperfections are destroyed, and passions removed.
1824 W. Roscoe in A. Pope Wks. I. Pref. p. xxi We must not forget to make due allowance for those feelings of partiality and of self-attachment which are inseparable from every human being.
2010 Korea Times (Nexis) 5 Aug. The remedy for self-attachment is to understand the true nature of self which is ‘emptiness’.
self-attraction n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈtrakʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈtrækʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1715 W. Derham Astro-theol. vi. 136 All Liquids..run nearly into a spherical form, when hung on a small surface;..or into a hemispherical figure, on a broader surface; their Self-Attraction causing the former.
1862 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire VII. lxv. 392 Held firmly together by its inherent self-attraction.
1951 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 37 11 The solar tidal force nearly equals the self-attraction for each of the proto-planets at their maximum extension.
2015 Independent (Nexis) 14 Oct. 31 This lack of conscious self-attraction very often has the effect of making the subject even more attractive to the inquisitive eye.
self-engrossed adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈɡrəʊst/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛnˈɡrəʊst/
,
/ˌsɛlfᵻŋˈɡrəʊst/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛŋˈɡrəʊst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈɡroʊst/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛnˈɡroʊst/
ΚΠ
1801 Port Folio 4 July 213/3 The insensible lounger, the self-engrossed coxcomb may sleep upon the knees of Delilah, and wake again to puny life.
1947 Kenyon Rev. 9 633 Two brothers—Tom, a good, kind, generous liberal democrat, and Clark, a jaded, caddish, self-engrossed reactionary.
2016 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 6 Nov. 19 The self-engrossed hippies of Nimbin can reject modern medicine and die medieval deaths if they want.
self-exulting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻɡˈzʌltɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛɡˈzʌltɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪɡˈzəlt/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛɡˈzəlt/
ΚΠ
1647 H. More Philos. Poems 322 You self-exulting sprights.
1764 J. Barnes Christian's Pocket Compan. 17/2 In Pity to thy Children, blast Our self-exulting Joy.
1862 Birmingham Daily Post 10 Nov. 3/1 Not in self-exulting, self-exalting boast, but in lowly thankfulness.
2016 M. E. Button Polit. Vices ii. 46 Antigone's perceived hubris—her ‘laughter’ and her so-called self-exulting defiance of Creon's judgment.
self-inject v.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˈdʒɛkt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈdʒɛk(t)/
ΚΠ
1878 E. J. Tilt Handbk. Uterine Therapeutics (ed. 4) v. 146 On no account should a patient be allowed to self-inject a solution of morphia, for it has been a well authenticated cause of death.
1968 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 19 Oct. 138/1 Though ordinarily taken by mouth, it might have to be self-injected by survivors on rafts in a rough sea.
2002 Ladies' Home Jrnl. July 85/1 [She] began taking the medication Enbrel, which she self-injects every 10 days.
self-responsibility n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻspɒnsᵻˈbɪlᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˌspɑnsəˈbɪlᵻdi/
,
/ˌsɛlfriˌspɑnsəˈbɪlᵻdi/
ΚΠ
1819 Calcutta Jrnl. 13 Oct. 326 This question never did, nor can rest on the chances of private character and self-responsibility.
1933 Junior–Senior High School Clearing House 8 149/2 As we progressed farther in the course, I found that another underlying objective was to teach self-responsibility.
2004 Prediction Apr. 15/2 Self-responsibility changes how a life situation is viewed.
† self-usurp v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. ii. 390 Wishing already to dis-Throne th'Eternall, And selfe-vsurpe the maiestie supernall.
b. With adjectives and derived nouns, with the sense ‘of or in oneself or itself, of or in one's or its own nature or power’. In earlier use also with verbs.For other early (16th-cent.) examples of formations of this type see self-wise adj., self-sufficient adj.
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xii. sig. X6 Selfe-guiltie folke most prone to feele compassion.
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lviii. 16 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 62 The Aspick..self-deaff, and unaffected lies.
1608 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 52 Whether, the Sun self-shine [Fr. Si Phœbus luit du sien].
1642 H. More Ψυχωδια Platonica sig. F7 Whiles self-flowing sourse I here detect In plants.
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) 392 Peter is self-strong.
a1683 J. Owen Gospel Grounds (1695) iv. 87 Those Self-whole jolly Professors which these days abound with.
1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence v. 200 The end having an intrinsic Goodness of its own, and so being Self-desirable.
1735 W. Somervile Chace iii. 286 The unweildly Beast Self-sinking, drops into the dark Profound.
1798 W. Sotheby tr. C. M. Wieland Oberon xi. xlix. 381 To eclipse the self-resplendent blaze [Ger. den angebohrnen glanz].
1845 Florist's Jrnl. 6 107 The utility of such a book..is self-apparent.
1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh vii. 289 Both faces leaned together like a pair Of folded innocences, self-complete.
1882 G. M. Hopkins Lett. to R. Bridges (1955) 165 This seems in English a point..insisted on, that words shall be single and specific marks for things, whether self-significant or not.
1922 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 July 489/2 It will be vastly interesting to see how far producer and players can succeed in getting any kind of unity of style, of artistic self-completeness, into the jumble.
1946 Classical Rev. 60 122/1 Many myths arise from attempts to explain customs no longer self-intelligible.
2014 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 21 June 6 Rituals can be as self-apparent as they are inexplicable.
c. Forming adjectives with participles, with the sense ‘from or out of oneself or itself (as a source or point of origin)’.
ΚΠ
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII i. i. 63 But Spider-like Out of his Selfe-drawing Web. View more context for this quotation
1684 J. Howe Redeemer's Tears in Wks. (1846) 84 The Christians of our age deceive themselves with a self-sprung religion.
1744 J. Harris Three Treat. iii. ii. 192 What shall we say to those other Pre-conceptions—to being Durable, Self-derived, and Indeprivable?
1864 J. Bryce Holy Rom. Empire viii. 133 It was proclaimed that the individual spirit..had..an independent existence as a centre of self-issuing force.
a1871 G. Grote Fragm. Ethical Subj. (1876) i. 20 This inward and self-arising determination.
1919 R. D. Taylor Myst. Life iv. 107 Radiations of self-emanating particles.
1957 Hudson Rev. 10 432 Producing at an early age what looks like a complete, self-sprung revolutionary approach to their art.
2013 New Republic (Nexis) 21 Oct. 60 The world is not contingent and dependent, it is self-deriving (in Spinoza's logical terminology).
4. With adjectives, verbs, and derived nouns, with the sense ‘automatically’.
self-bailing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈbeɪlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈbeɪlɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1843 N.Y. Herald 18 Feb. (heading) Improved patent self-bailing life boat.
1940 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 27 Oct. d7/8 (advt.) Sport fisher 24x8, 1940... Large self-bailing cockpit.
2006 Alaska Mag. Sept. 30/3 If sightseeing is the main reason for taking to the water,..a self-bailing raft might be the right choice.
self-basting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈbeɪstɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈbeɪstɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1842 Argus 27 Aug. 8/1 The self-basting meat screen which, from the moment putting down the joint to dishing the same, requires no attention.
1933 Pop. Sci. Monthly July 55/2 There is no chance for meat juice to escape from this self-basting pressure cooker.
2016 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 31 July Medjool dates are..wrapped in lace fat..and then roasted, creating a self-basting mechanism that holds in moisture.
† self-bury adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1883 Great Internat. Fisheries Exhib. Catal. 32 Permanent self-bury Anchor.
self-charging adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtʃɑːdʒɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtʃɑrdʒɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1795 T. Cavallo Compl. Treat. Electr. III. 279 (heading) Description of the self-charging Leyden phial.
1916 Electr. Rev. 68 868/1 Some months ago the rumor of a self-charging electric startled the automobile industry.
2010 Bradford Tel. & Argus (Nexis) 4 Aug. (Cars News section) The boot features clever additions such as a self-charging torch.
self-closing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkləʊzɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkloʊzɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1829 Standard 30 Sept. An advertisement..of patent self-closing and unopenable iron coffins, is gummed on the top of the first sheet of his will.
1931 Times Educ. Suppl. 27 June 249/4 Noise is minimized by the use of self-closing double doors.
2003 Self Def. for Women Fall 17 Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching.
self-coiling adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkɔɪlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkɔɪlɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1858 Morning Chron. 4 Aug. The patent self-coiling shutter is composed of laths in metal or wood.
1961 Pop. Sci. Jan. 79/2 Why can't they be sold with the self-coiling wire now commonly used on telephones?
2006 Ont. Sailor June 40 (advt.) Self-coiling washdown hose kits.
self-defrosting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdiːˈfrɒstɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfdᵻˈfrɒstɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈfrɔstɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈfrɔstɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfdəˈfrɑstɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈfrɑstɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1926 N.Y. Times 26 Sept. (Mag.) 18/ 5 (advt.) An electric refrigerator that is self-defrosting.
2007 Washington Post (Nexis) 1 Aug. f4 Self-defrosting freezers are the bane of ice cream sandwiches. As the temperature fluctuates to prevent frost, ice crystals build up in ice cream or sorbet.
self-demagnetisation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdiːˌmaɡnᵻtʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdiˌmæɡnəˌtaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˌmæɡnədəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1912 Proc. Physical Soc. 24 342 (heading) The self-demagnetisation of annealed steel rods.
2006 Computer Weekly 9 May 35/1 Higher data rates can lead to self-demagnetisation as minute magnetic cells flip their polarity.
self-disengaging adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdɪs(ᵻ)nˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfdɪsᵻŋˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfdɪsɛnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfdɪsɛŋˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdɪsᵻnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌdɪsɛnˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1814 R. Buchanan Pract. Ess. Mill-wk. iv. 89 Some good instances of self-disengaging apparatus may be seen in looms driven by power.
1911 Machinery Jan. 409/1 The carriage handwheel is self disengaging, so that it does not revolve when the power feed is engaged.
2013 Alfa Romeo Spider Owners Work Man. 160/1 Bendix pinion, a self-engaging and self-disengaging drive on a starter motor shaft.
self-filling adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfɪlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfɪlɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1833 Old Eng. 21 July 225/3 First, of a self-filling reservoir, which will contain sufficient ink for several days.
1914 Motor Boating Sept. 35/3 The Elmar Manufacturing Company..are making a self-filling grease gun which is designed to load itself with any grease in twenty seconds.
2016 Land (Austral.) (Nexis) 7 May (Property section) The yards have self-filling troughs and are in close proximity to the new hay shed.
self-holding adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈhəʊldɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈhoʊldɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1853 Boston Post 9 June A self-holding plough, the improvement consisting of a pair of iron wheels under the beam.
1920 Commerc. Amer. July 57/2 The ring at the end of the tape is self holding, which enables the user to take nearly any measurement without the assistance of the second person.
2004 Sunday Tel. (Sydney) (Nexis) 4 July s4 Self-Holding Rollers... These jumbo pastel-coloured rollers stay put so well, you could be forgiven for wandering outside with a full set still in.
self-igniting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪɡˈnʌɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪɡˈnaɪdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1835 Boston Morning Post 21 Jan. 2/2 Loco Foco, or self-igniting Segars... They possess the peculiar property of igniting themselves.
1929 Sci. News-let. 19 Oct. 241/3 These Diesel engines..are self-igniting by the heat of fuel compression, and thus sparkplugs and their troubles are eliminated.
2014 Observer (Nexis) 26 Oct. Wouldn't..Angus—a man whose rucksack contains two chopping-boards, a self-igniting stove and a scimitar—have thought to pack a portable phone charger?
self-inking adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɪŋkɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɪŋkɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1820 Caledonian Mercury 1 July We have now to announce the invention of a self inking apparatus..; the inking is executed with admirable simplicity by the present necessary movements of the press.
1949 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 49 24/1 (advt.) A sturdy lifetime self-inking marker.
2014 Express (Nexis) 17 Apr. 44 With this self-inking stamp you can make sensitive data quickly and safely illegible so they can't be seen or copied by anyone.
self-levelling adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈlɛvl̩ɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈlɛvlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈlɛv(ə)lɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1851 Indiana State Sentinel (Indianapolis) 29 May The ‘sawed track’..acts most completely as a self-leveling superstructure.
1927 Harper's Mag. Oct. (Insert) 660–1 (advt.) The Otis micro-drive or self-leveling elevator is the outgrowth of machines designed for use on minelaying ships.
2011 Trailfinder Spring 10/1 Innovations including a rock climbing wall, 9 hole golf course,..and even self levelling pool tables.
self-lighting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈlʌɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈlaɪdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1819 Monthly Mag. Aug. 71/2 Self-lighting lamps have been contrived... It is sufficient, on lighting them, to turn a key, and the result is produced by the combination of electricity and hydrogen gas.
1958 Life 14 Apr. 103/2 (advt.) Turn the dial and each self-lighting burner obediently gives you precisely the heat you want, instantly.
2004 Hotdog Apr. 106/3 Russell, convinced the future would feature self-lighting cigarettes (just draw and it ignites), was figuring out how to stage that particular illusion.
self-locking adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈlɒkɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈlɑkɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1825 Glasgow Mechanics' Mag. 2 322 (caption) Improved self-locking copying machine.
1938 Archit. Rev. 83 p. lx/3 The glass is held by a continuous self-locking spring aluminium cover strip.
2014 E. E. Fallowfield Dancing Debutante i. 6 My mother could not get in, as the door was self-locking.
self-operating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɒpəreɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɑpəˌreɪdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1810 Morning Chron. 7 May The Patent Self-operating Fire Escape forms an useful and ornamental piece of furniture in a room.
1915 Pop. Mech. June 909/1 They are also fitted with an ingenious self-operating braking system, so that when the speed of the tractor is decreased, the cars behind are checked.
2015 Toronto Star (Nexis) 28 Feb. m1 The engineer's plan involves building and installing self-operating machines that supply portable, recyclable ‘mini power banks’, or batteries, in public spaces.
self-setting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsɛtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsɛdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1835 Vermont Patriot & State Gaz. 27 Apr. Its self-setting power..will in most cases render only a single-hand necessary to attend a saw.
1908 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 117. 37/2 The shuttle is the most perfect self threading cylindrical shuttle... The needle is self setting.
2016 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 27 July New generation self-setting traps seem encouraging, and poisons..are becoming more selective.
self-stabilization n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfsteɪbᵻlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfsteɪbl̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌsteɪbəˌlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌsteɪbələˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
ΚΠ
1916 Silver Lake (Indiana) Rec. 7 Sept. Unless you touch the lever to change its position you will fly along at the same level indefinitely owing to the self-stabilization of the machine.
2016 Irish Times (Nexis) 29 Feb. 14 The research team achieved a dense uniform dispersion of silicon carbide nanoparticles..in magnesium through nanoparticle self-stabilization in molten metal.
self-stabilizing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsteɪbᵻlʌɪzɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈsteɪbl̩ʌɪzɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsteɪbəˌlaɪzɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1909 Automobile Topics 9 Oct. 47/2 It is claimed that the machine will be self-stabilizing, maintaining almost perfect equilibrium in any kind of weather.
1953 Proc. Inst. Electr. Engineers 100 i. 101/1 The self-stabilizing effect is so important in establishing an inherently safe and stable plant [sc. nuclear reactor]..that it should always be carefully studied.
2013 Sydney (Austral.) Morning Herald (Nexis) 16 May The rescuers had decided to use a self-stabilising rope system.
self-threading adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈθrɛdɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈθrɛdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1859 N.Y. Herald 14 Sept. 5/3 (advt.) Bartlett's novelty self threading sewing machines, selling rapidly.
1964 Discovery Oct. 67/2 The Rank Organisation has recently marketed a 16 mm projector which is self-threading.
2010 C. Froehlich Laundry Wisdom vii. 83 Fabric stores carry self-threading needles, which are great for teaching children and for those of us who cannot see well.
self-tipping adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtɪpɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtɪpɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1844 Liverpool Mercury 25 Oct. A Self-tipping Cart and other excellent Implements, used on his farm.
1921 Textiles Feb. 28/2 (caption) Self-tipping dyeing machine.
2013 Fishing News 5 Apr. 14/4 The self-tipping doors are raised by hydraulic rams mounted just inboard of the scuppers on the main deck.
self-tuning adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtjuːnɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈtʃuːnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈt(j)unɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1886 Humeston (Iowa) New Era 22 July One no-stringed, self-tuning, upright washboard.
1947 R. H. Streete in P. I. Smith Pract. Plastics xviii. 243/1 An important feature of the latest 1 kilowatt heater is that it is self-tuning and easy to operate.
2016 Daily Star (Nexis) 11 Oct. 27 Adjustable earphones include a built-in self-tuning AM/FM radio.
self-unloading adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfʌnˈləʊdɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌənˈloʊdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1853 North Amer. & U.S. Gaz. (Philadelphia) 26 Oct. 1/5 A self-unloading hay elevator.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 16 Feb. 72/3 He could load five tons of chopped silage from the barn silo into two self-unloading trailers to feed 180 cows in three-quarters of an hour.
2014 Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 9 Dec. 32 The company has opted for a self-propelled and self-unloading barges option.
self-watering adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈwɔːtərɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈwɔdərɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈwɑdərɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1871 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1869 I. 139 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (41st Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 102) XIII Self-watering scrubber.
1978 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 30 Mar. Part of the money would be used to invest in a newer, self-wateringtype of hanging basket to beautify the town's main street.
2015 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 27 May d7/4 Self-watering pots with reservoirs are helpful. Drip emitters, or ‘spaghetti’ lines can be set into pots and set on a timer.
self-winding adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈwʌɪndɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈwaɪndɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1800 True Briton 28 Feb. A self-winding Gold Watch by H. Sarton of Liege.
1927 Bull. Metrop. Mus. Art 22 114/2 A wheellock..dated 1638, loads with steel cartridges, and has the added interest of being self-winding.
2004 Wall St. Jrnl. 11 June (Central ed.) w6 (advt.) Self-winding movement with a unique timezone quick setting and permanent hometime display.
5. Forming words in which self- is adjectival.
a.
(a) With the sense ‘inherent in, depending on, or proceeding from oneself or itself, one's or its nature, etc.; belonging to oneself or itself as an independent being’. In 17th cent. often spec. with the sense ‘dependent or relying on one's own efforts or merits rather than the grace of God’.For a formation of this type surviving from Old English see self-will n. For a 15th-cent. formation see self-wit n.
ΚΠ
1536 R. Taverner tr. P. Melanchthon Apol. sig. p.vv, in Confessyon Fayth Germaynes That after the remission of synnes, men be ryghtuouse in the syghte of god, not by fayth, but by the selfe workes.
1565 N. Sanders Supper of Our Lord v. iii. 258 That Christ wold his owne body and blood vnder the formes of bread and wine, to be the Sacrament of that self vnitie, which it worketh.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 367 The other lowd-resounded Hart-wanting Hymnes, on selfe-deseruing founded [Fr. Vn discours tout fondé sur son propre merite].
1640 E. Reynolds Treat. Passions (1647) xvi. 169 A Vacuity, Indigence, and selfe-insufficiency of the Soule.
1668 J. Owen Pract. Expos. 130th Psalm 380 The..infinite self-purity of this Eternal Immense Being.
1668 H. More Divine Dialogues i. xxx. 124 By the Self-unity of a Spirit I understand a Spirit to be immediately and essentially one.
1701 J. Norris Ess. Ideal World I. i. 7 Any self-stability, aseity, or essential immutability of its own.
1773 J. Berridge Christian World Unmasked 208 Self-will, self-potence, and self-righteousness.
1858 H. Bushnell Nature & Supernatural iv. 95 A soul..acting by its own free self-impulsion.
1867 G. Easton Autobiogr. (ed. 2) vii. 81 Never had I felt such a deep sense of self-insignificance.
1880 G. M. Hopkins Serm. & Devotional Writings (1959) 125 Above all my shame, my guilt, my fate are the very things in feeling, in tasting, which I most taste that selftaste which nothing in the world can match.
1920 F. P. B. Osmaston tr. G. W. F. Hegel Philos. Fine Art II. iii. i. 300 This condition of self-unity in some other that is yet its own is the real form of beauty appropriate to romantic art.
1930 Social Forces 8 535/2 Psychologically the man is kept at the falling-in-love level by a need of emotional experiences that gratify his self-potency.
1981 Jrnl. Relig. & Health 20 216 Self-strength develops out of the individual's successful confronting of anxiety-creating experiences.
2013 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 22 June 19 You need to have self-stability; you have been through enough..that you know what it takes to break you and when you are at your limit.
(b)
self-ability n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈbɪlᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈbɪlᵻdi/
ΚΠ
c1591 J. Norden Progr. Pietie (1847) 28 A slumber, which procureth many drowsy dreams of self-ability to wade through all adverse things of the world.
1626 W. Laud Serm. preached at White-hall 5 July 32 No deserting the cause though no selfe-ability could hold it vp.
1761 W. Law Humble Addr. to Clergy 57 For the Efforts of natural Reason, and Self-abilities, to be great in religious Knowledge from our own particular Talents, are as Satanical Things.
1959 Jrnl. Educ. Sociol. 33 68 To make continuous efforts to free or eliminate emerging stress; always, negotiating on the basis of self ability and previous experience to accomplish this objective.
2016 Jerusalem Post (Nexis) 25 Sept. (Health section) 6 The therapist should always express empathy, flow with the patient's opposition without confrontation and support his self abilities.
† self-excellency n. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1606 A. Chapman Christian Liberty sig. F A baser kinde of pride, not that, which contemneth inferiours (from a conceit of selfe-excellency) but that, which endureth not and maligneth a superiour.
1798 Gen. Baptist Mag. Jan. 8 He seemed to have small sense of any self-excellency, though Satan would fain have defiled him with it.
1897 Rec. Christian Work Oct. 345/2 The desire to be commended for some self-excellency.
self-holiness n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈhəʊlɪnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈhoʊlinᵻs/
ΚΠ
1579 G. Gilpin tr. P. van Marnix van Sant Aldegonde Bee Hiue of Romishe Church f. 345 They..are verie greedie after the foresaide syroppe, calle Syrupus Missaticus: but the more they vse of it, the more they swel with self-holines [Du. eyghen heylicheyt], so that they are like to burst.
1756 J. Wesley Let. 6 Jan. (1931) III. 360 It was a fancied self-holiness, and occasioned rest and satisfaction in itself in a spiritual self.
1851 Christian Observer 4 Oct. 157/ Those who feel themselves persuaded that hopes founded in present self-holiness and power of human nature, are entirely unsafe.
2007 D. Eze Intimacy with God iv. 94 The external exemplary aspect of self-holiness that is meant to enlighten those living ungodly lives.
self-merit n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmɛrɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈmɛrət/
ΚΠ
1613 W. Westerman Iacobs Well 30 They haue digged pits vnto themselues, which wil hold no water of saluation,..in selfe-merits, saints-merits, in supererogations, satisfactions, pardons, indulgences.
1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator (1748) II. x. 162 Vanity, and a high opinion of self-merit, sometimes renders one party easy and contented.
1841 W. Mason Job Abbott 44 So far as the disavowal of self-merit goes, thought Job, this is very good.
2008 Jrnl. Business Ethics 81 334/2 A person's sense of self-merit is substantially in league with socially affirming outcomes.
self-power n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpaʊə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpaʊ(ə)r/
ΚΠ
1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius sig. Ff.iiijv Selfe power or libertie to liue after her own will.
a1730 R. Altham Serm. Several Occasions (1732) II. 213 Love is a passion so much depending upon..that principle in man, which we may call self-power, that nothing from without can be prevalent enough to force it in us.
1896 W. James Let. 24 July (1920) II. 41 No more flexibility or self-power in his mind than in a boot-jack.
1964 E. Becker in I. L. Horowitz New Sociol. 123 This is the basic phenomenology of alienations: the failure to develop self-powers by transacting with the world of things.
2016 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 8 July 19 He's so disillusioned by his own sense of self-power.
b. With the sense ‘having an independent existence, position, or authority; not deriving from or dependent on anything or anyone else; (formerly also) †earliest, original (obsolete)’.For a further early (16th-cent.) formation see self-essence n.
ΚΠ
?1545 J. Bale 2nd Pt. Image Both Churches f. 135 But now in dede they haue receyued the same self auctoryte and power with the Beast, that he toke afore of the Dragon.
1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 19 Thou self-Idea of all ioyes to come.
1612 J. Selden in M. Drayton Poly-olbion viii. Illustr. 125 I dare follow none of the Moderne erroniously transcribing Relaters..but haue..tooke it from the best selfe-fountaines.
1629 W. Sclater Briefe Expos. 2 Thess. (ed. 2) 169 Are Churches, Councels, Popes Authentique, of selfe credit?
1657 P. Heylyn Ecclesia Restavrata I. ii. §5. 84 The Clergy of this Realm had a Self-authority in all matters which concerned Religion.
1718 M. Earbery Rev. Bishop of Bangor's Answer 2 He..teaches others to submit their Judgments to nothing else but Self-Authority, and Self-Determination.
1776 Duty of King & Subj. on Princ. Civil Liberty 4 He finds rebellion and faction varnished over by some pamphleteer under the pompous name of liberty; self agency and self government.
1857 J. Pulsford Quiet Hours 286 Opposition to Supreme Authority is madness. In yielding to self-authority we sell ourselves into the most abject slavery.
1891 Boston Investigator 28 Jan. 1/4 The low mental and moral condition of the people makes it impossible for them to arise to a state of self-sovereignty.
1894 Nineteenth Cent. Aug. 191 Under the new defensors, whether laic or clerical, the citizens conquered full self-jurisdiction and self-administration for their folkmotes.
1944 College Eng. 6 80/1 At the end of the story, her self-sovereignty surpasses that of the now lonely and repentant Aurora.
1974 New York 18 Feb. 41/2 By engaging their choices with more intensity, they can progress faster along the track toward self-authority.
2006 Times Lit. Suppl. 21 July 3/1 The adolescent years mark a period of opportunity and risk..when the desire for self-agency peaks but skills in self-control and forward planning dip.
c. With the sense ‘desired or sought after solely for one's own advantage or welfare; concerned with or motivated by one's own needs or desires’.For a further early (16th-cent.) formation see self-end n.
ΚΠ
1525 R. Whitford tr. Hugh of St. Victor Expos. v, in tr. St. Augustine Rule f. lviiv And yf the charite of Chryst, yt is to say of euery faythful chrystyan communly do preferre & set the commune welth before selfe profyte.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xvi. 295 What else is the whole societie of man..but a self-gaine [Fr. vn monopole]?
1624 I. Bargrave Serm. against Selfe Policy 28 This wicked sibi, this selfe-doctrine.
1646 H. More Philos. Devotion in Democritus Platonissans sig. E3 Save me, God! from Self-desire.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 177 The Ratio formalis, essentiall of a Suist, or selfe-polititian.
1687 J. Norris Coll. Misc. 262 Neither does he [sc. God] govern the Rational part of it by the Precepts of Religion out of any Self-design, as if he feasted his nostrils with the perfumes of the Altar.
1713 A. W. Boehm Char. of Love 14 There is Self-Honour, Self-Profit, Self-Lust, Self-Will, with many more of that Nature, whereby the natural Man seeketh himself.
1778 W. Marshall Minutes Agric. Digest 4 Nor was actuated by any other motive than Self-Emolument.
1841 W. E. Gladstone Diary 20 Mar. in J. Morley Life Gladstone (1903) I. ii. vii. 233 Men hurrying this way and that for gold, or pleasure, or some self-desire.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Œnone (rev. ed.) in Poems (new ed.) I. 126 Unbiass'd by self-profit.
1868 Gospel Herald 1 Oct. 236/1 The Christian, to be consistent with his sublime profession, must surrender not merely self-righteousness, but self-will, self-wishes, [etc.].
1875 Era 2 May 15/3 If he had been guided by motives of self-policy he would have been silent on those subjects.
1887 N. Wales Chron. 29 Oct. Not seeking self gain and aggrandizement.
1923 Health Apr. 31/2 This course of exhausting our nervous system—a martyr to our self desire for human glory, does not pay.
1957 Flying Aug. 83/1 The honor roll of those in free enterprise who served a larger history than self profit.
2017 Nigerian Tribune (Nexis) 23 Apr. We twist scripture now for self-purposes.
d. With the sense ‘relating to oneself or itself, one's or its own; personal, individual; private’. Cf. self pron. 3.Particularly common in 17th cent.
ΚΠ
1581 A. Anderson Shield of Safetie sig. K. iiijv Thys opinion & most stricte yoke..is farre shorte the warrante of God, and deuised of their selfe inuention.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 113 Ouer full of selfe affaires. View more context for this quotation
1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. iii. ix. 575 Yet is it safe by selfe-waight [L. pondere tuta suo], and will last.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. ii. 411 Who..rather sinne suppresse By selfe-examples, then by rigorousnes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iii. 204 I would not haue your free and noble nature, Out of selfe-bounty be abus'd. View more context for this quotation
1616 B. Jonson Epigrammes ii, in Wks. I. 769 Thou art not couetous of least selfe fame.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII i. i. 134 Anger is like A full hot Horse, who being allow'd his way Selfe-mettle tyres him. View more context for this quotation
1641 D. Cawdrey Three Serm. 8 Selfe-guiltinesse commonly makes men partiall, in judging others.
1658 Earl of Monmouth tr. P. Paruta Hist. Venice ii. i. 29 Whereby he might plead necessity of selfe-safety for what he did.
1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing 134 Self-advantage can as easily incline some, to believe a falshood, as profess it.
1668 H. More Divine Dialogues: Two Last Dial. v. xxxvii. 436 Quitting all Self-relishes he became an entire Servant of God.
a1690 R. Barclay Apol. True Christian Divinity (1701) xi. §10. 365 The Self-workings and Motions of his own Mind.
1717 E. Fenton Poems 203 Sickly'd with Age, and sow'r with Self-disgrace.
1747 S. Richardson Clarissa II. ii. 12 I am concerned, that you ever wrote at all to him... It was adding to his self-significance.
1801 Lady's Monthly Museum Feb. 368 To do good as if from a natural impulse, and without any regard to self-advantage, is to come as near the Deity as can be expected in our frail state.
1864 C. F. Armstrong Neapolitan Commander III. iv. 64 Who taught the sailors their seamanship, and gave impetus to their courage by self-example.
1966 Supreme Court Rev. 109 The calamity of those cases in withdrawing protection against self-disgrace, social ostracism, and economic ruin?
2016 N. Y. Times (Nexis) 24 Mar. 8 All they care about is self-fame and personal interests and in between the poor people have to suffer.
e. With the sense ‘caused by oneself, of one's own making’. Somewhat rare.In some later examples perhaps arising from reanalysis of formations in sense 2a, e.g. self-chain from self-chained.
ΚΠ
a1649 R. Crashaw Carmen Deo Nostro (1652) sig. a. iv Fetter'd, & lockt vp fast they ly In a sad selfe-captiuity.
a1705 J. Howe Wks. (1848) II. 422 All the trouble I suffer in this kind is self-trouble. We therein but afflict ourselves.
1794 H. B. Dudley Travellers in Switzerland i. 32 You might assist me in rallying her out of this self captivity.
1845 ‘E. Warburton’ Crescent & Cross II. 163 The self-outlaws of humanity.
1881 C. Rossetti Pageant & Other Poems 117 Who from thy self-chain shall set thee free?
1927 Musical Q. 13 353 Economic utilitarianism is not, however, the only form that self-imprisonment takes.
2009 S. J. Robb Many Masks we Wear i. 73 I still had to deal with the part of me..that said I was not complete without a woman to rescue... This opened up a whole new chapter of self-disaster in my life and the lives of my kids.
6.
self-absorbed adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəbˈzɔːbd/
,
/ˌsɛlfəbˈsɔːbd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəbˈzɔrbd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌæbˈzɔrbd/
,
/ˌsɛlfəbˈsɔrbd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌæbˈsɔrbd/
preoccupied by one's own emotions, interests, or situation; expressing or characterized by such preoccupation.
ΚΠ
1825 London Mag. Apr. 532 He replied as if he received their attentions kindly, but was too much self-absorbed to think about them.
1903 E. Œ. Somerville & ‘M. Ross’ All on Irish Shore 132 His face was pale and strange and entirely self-absorbed.
1981 J. Carey John Donne iv. 99 His poems..though self-absorbed..are not self-admiring.
2006 Running Times May 15/2 I can be self-absorbed and single-minded, qualities that don't always serve family dynamics and friendships well.
self-actuating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈaktʃʊeɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈaktjʊeɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈæk(t)ʃuˌeɪdɪŋ/
that activates or impels itself; (now chiefly) spec. (of a machine, device, etc.) that causes itself to begin operating automatically, self-activating (cf. sense 4).
ΚΠ
1695 J. Howe Disc. Much-lamented Death Queen Mary 24 Every such Spirit is, therefore, become..a self-actuating Sun, full of Fervour and motive Power, besides mere Light.
1797 J. Edwards Diss. Liberty & Necessity v. 126 The becoming passively the subjects of sensation, does not suggest to us the idea of a self-determinate or self-actuating cause.
1867 Ann. Rep. Commissioner of Patents 1865 I. 230 The construction and arrangement of the links and levers for actuating the movable section of the cam, and permitting the same to be self-actuating, as herein described.
1933 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 45 579 Matter and energy form a closed and self-actuating universe.
1959 H. Barnes Oceanogr. & Marine Biol. 168 Remotely controlled or self-actuating underwater cameras.
2016 Toronto Star (Nexis) 10 Sept. w1 The self-actuating rear spoiler..boosts aerodynamic performance.
self-adaptive adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈdaptɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈdæptɪv/
capable of adapting to changes in situation, environment, etc.; designating or relating to such capability.Now chiefly of a device or machine.
ΚΠ
1845 Dundee Courier 25 Nov. 1/3 The present law is self-adaptive. It was meant, and it is efficient, to keep corn out when it is not wanted, and to let it in freely when it is wanted.
1903 F. W. H. Myers Human Personality I. 216 Typical of life is its self-adaptive power.
2016 Business Day (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 28 Apr. The gearbox..is a self adaptive unit that features 20 different shift programmes.
self-adjustment n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈdʒʌs(t)m(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈdʒəs(t)mənt/
(a) (with reference to a process, system, device, etc.) adjustment to varying circumstances, requirements, or conditions without external intervention; automatic modification; (b) adaptation to a new or different environment or situation; = adjustment n. 4.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > psychology of personality > [noun] > adaptation to environment
self-adjustment1813
adjustment1855
personality dynamics1939
1813 Repertory Arts, Manuf., & Agric. Oct. 44 The self-adjustment of these levels [of water in the lock], so as to regulate themselves to every possible variation of the levels of the canal.
1905 J. A. H. Keith Elem. Educ. xiii. 256 What is called reflection is nothing but this process of internally initiated and exhaustive self adjustment to a stimulus or situation.
1962 A. Battersby Guide to Stock Control v. 51 This capacity for self-adjustment is a necessary part of any practical control system.
2016 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 3 July ar10 The movie is in favor of self-adjustment and self-reflection.
self-affirmation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfafəˈmeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌæfərˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/
(a) an assertion or declaration made by the person in question (without verification); (b) the recognition and assertion of the existence and value of one's individual self; cf. affirmation n. 5.
ΚΠ
1657 J. Sergeant Schism Dispach't ii. 283 Dr. H...places in his confident self affirmations the summe of his whole Defence.
1818 S. T. Coleridge Friend (new ed.) III. ii. ix. 262 We know that existence is its own predicate, self-affirmation, the one attribute in which all others are contained, not as parts, but as manifestations.
1840 Times 31 Oct. 5/6 Your correspondent.., whose only desire I am willing to allow from his own self-affirmation is the prosecution of truth.
1924 W. B. Selbie Psychol. Relig. 53 That desire for..self-affirmation..is so characteristic of man at all stages of his development.
1987 J. Meyendorff Vision of Unity 82 The decision is made without consultation with anybody as a deliberate affirmation not only of the martyrs' sanctity, but also as a self-affirmation of the ‘Church-in-exile’, as the only ‘remnant of true Orthodoxy’.
2016 Sunday Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 15 May 17 Use self-affirmation such as ‘I'm a great person, I'm a genius’.
self-aggression n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈɡrɛʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈɡrɛʃ(ə)n/
(a) aggressive or forceful actions or behaviour engaged in for one's own advancement or gain; self-assertion; (b) harmful behaviour or feelings directed against oneself.
ΚΠ
1889 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 16 Dec. 7/3 He said that organisation amongst them [sc. workers] was as essential to them as the air they breathed; but it should be only for protection and not for self-aggression.
1912 Free Press, Winnipeg 28 Sept. 1/1 One may well wonder that this man,..entirely lacking any talent for self-aggression or advertisement, should be so honored.
1938 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 29 Oct. 911/2 A wish for self-punishment, self-aggression, as an effort to atone for unconscious feelings of guilt.
1990 College Eng. 52 429 Macrorie argues that masculine self-aggression and self-centredness have no place in the classroom.
2003 Observer (Nexis) 23 Feb. (Mag.) 69 When self-harm loses its effectiveness as a coping mechanism, it can encourage ever more dangerous acts of self-aggression.
self-anatomy n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈnatəmi/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈnædəmi/
detailed examination of one's nature, feelings, motives, etc.; self-analysis.
ΚΠ
1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci ii. ii. 33 Such self-anatomy shall teach the will Dangerous secrets.
1921 J. Lavrin Ibsen & his Creation iv. 50 A profound attempt at spiritual self-portraying and self-anatomy.
2012 Representations 120 13 His greatest poem is..sometimes described as an unsparing act of moral and political self-anatomy.
self-apply v.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈplʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈplaɪ/
transitive to apply (something) oneself; (now chiefly) to apply (something) to oneself.
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K2v If I had selfe applyed Loue to my selfe.
1781 H. Downman tr. Voltaire Brutus ii. i, in Dramatic Wks. I. 249 Why thus Exasperate the wound, and give it force By anguish self-applied?
1835 Wesleyan-Methodist Mag. Oct. 731 Mrs. Voysey..took great pains with her pupils, instructing them on the subject of religion... Yet nothing that Miss Randoll heard was self-applied.
1968 Word Study Dec. 4/1 The term kingfish may be applied to an undisputed leader or master. It has been used as a personal appellation, self-applied I believe, to Huey Long.
2010 L. Braun & M. Cohen Herbs & Natural Suppl. (ed. 3) 43 Educating patients who self-apply essential oils is an important aspect of safe use.
self-application n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfaplᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌæpləˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
(a) the action or an act of administering something to oneself, or of bringing something to bear upon oneself; (b) the action of giving one's full attention to what one does or undertakes; hard work.
ΚΠ
1614 T. Adams Diuells Banket v. 254 Runne along with mee, both with your vnderstandings and selfe-applications.
1750 M. Postlethwayt Merchant's Public Counting-house 7 The eager pursuits of interest in the master, who has not leisure to attend to his instruction, will not admit of his making a greater proficiency in mercantile knowledge, than what self-application shall lead him to.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison V. xlv. 291 Poor Mr. Grandison found in this case also great room for self-application and regret, without my being so officious as to remind him of the similitude.
1800 J. Watkins Universal Biogr. Dict. at Rousseau (John James) His education was but scanty, but he made up for this by self-application.
1939 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 26 Aug. 451/2 Self-application with one hand is made possible by a special buttonhole device.
2016 Sunday Times (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 6 Nov. All in all, my experience was self-application and learning by default.
self-assembling adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəˈsɛmblɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈsɛmblɪŋ/
that assembles itself, esp. (in later use) with reference to biological or chemical structures and nanotechnology.rare before the latter half of the 20th cent.
ΚΠ
1900 Scribner's Mag. May 611/1 As the chain falls, a gong clangs sharply, the horses wheel to their places like so many parts of a self-assembling machine.
1964 Science 17 Jan. 268/2 The subunits are not self-assembling, but need supplementary information (morphogenetic principles) to be shaped correctly.
2006 Bull. Atomic Scientists Sept. 28/3 Self-assembling nano-devices, such as the DNAzyme (a device that can bind and cleave RNA molecules one by one)..were unimaginable a couple of years ago.
self-authenticating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɔːˈθɛntᵻkeɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈθɛn(t)əˌkeɪdɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɔˈθɛn(t)əˌkeɪdɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɑˈθɛn(t)əˌkeɪdɪŋ/
that is or may be considered valid, true, or authentic without need for or reference to external authority; (later also) that affirms or enhances one's sense of self.
ΚΠ
1834 N.Y. Spectator 23 Apr. This charge..is totally disproved and annihilated by the far more enlightened and self-authenticating testimony of Mr. Gallatin.
1935 H. H. Farmer World & God i. ix. 158 Our interest is in the Christian experience of God as personal, which in the nature of the case must be self-authenticating.
1998 Guardian (Nexis) 25 Jan. To be an American is a state of being which is automatically self-authenticating, even when angst-ridden.
2005 P. R. Rice Electronic Evid. vi. 247 Such trade inscriptions on e-mail messages have been held to be self-authenticating.
self-baptizer n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfbapˈtʌɪzə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈbæpˌtaɪzər/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈbæbˌtaɪzər/
Christian Church (now historical) a person who baptizes himself or herself, or who believes in this type of baptism, typically holding that no one else is worthy or has authority to perform the sacrament; spec. (a) John Smyth (c1570–1612), the founder of the Se-baptists, an Anabaptist congregation in Amsterdam in the early 17th cent.; a member of this congregation, a Se-baptist; (b) a member of a subgroup of the Bezpopovtsy; cf. Bezpopovtsy n., Old Believer n. [In sense (a) as a translation of the elements of Se-baptist n.
In sense (b) after Russian samokreščenec ( < samo- , combining form of sam self + krestit′ to baptize + -en- suffix forming deverbal derivatives + -ec , suffix forming nouns) and the similarly formed samokreščennik (showing the suffix -nik -nik suffix; both 19th cent. or earlier); compare also Russian samokrest in the same sense, < samo- + krest- (in krestit′ to baptize).]
ΚΠ
1646 N. Homes Vindic. baptizing Beleevers Infants sig. A3v Being Sebaptists, that is, self-baptizers; or baptised with the old sort of Infant-baptisme: (in either of which they are most unlike to John the Baptist).
1812 Monthly Mag. Apr. 252 A pious Christian, who, suspecting that adult baptism might be essential to salvation, and yet not wishing to belong to the Congregational Baptists,..baptised himself... Dr. Adam Clarke solemnly applauds this self-baptizer.
1841 Penny Cycl. XX. 270/2 The Samokreshchennikee, or ‘self-baptisers’,..baptise themselves by repeatedly diving into a river.
1904 M. Creighton & L. Creighton Hist. Lect. & Addr. 55 Smith first baptised himself and then Helwys, and by this means obtained two elders who were qualified to baptise others. For this reason he was called a Sebaptist, or Self-baptiser.
2008 L. Heretz Russia on Eve of Modernity 71 One eighteenth-century Self-Baptizer gave an especially eloquent expression of the radical Old Believer theme of the defilement of the present world.
self-begetter n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfbᵻˈɡɛtə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfbəˈɡɛdər/
,
/ˌsɛlfbiˈɡɛdər/
[after Hellenistic Greek αὐτοπάτωρ (adjective) self-engendered] a person who or thing which is considered to engender himself, herself, or itself.In quot. 1788: a person who does not believe in God, and hence is considered to be born only of flesh rather than of God.
ΚΠ
1658 J. Rowland tr. T. Moffett Theater of Insects in Topsell's Hist. Four-footed Beasts (rev. ed.) 890 Some also do write, that Bees may be bred out of their own ashes sprinkled with honey,..which sort may be called in Greek ἀυτοπάτορες, or Self-begetters.
1788 W. Huntington Free Thoughts in Captivity 50 Neither the self-begetter nor the freethinker will ever be able to palm one child of the flesh upon the everlasting Father.
1873 A. E. Kroeger tr. W. von der Vogelweide in Minnesinger of Germany ii. 64 Thy power its self-begetter, Can grow nor less nor greater.
1962 Mod. Fiction Stud. 8 144 The self-begetter who by definition denies the necessity for his father's intercourse with his mother for his own existence is an Oedipal ideal.
2002 Amer. Folklore Soc. 115 389 Perhaps the most amazing feat of all is Bata's impregnating his former wife so as to be reborn from her... By being a self-begetter, a son becomes one with his father.
self-belief n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfbᵻˈliːf/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfbəˈlif/
,
/ˌsɛlfbiˈlif/
confidence in oneself.
ΚΠ
1648 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. Gualdo Priorato Hist. Late Warres iii. 72 Mens fearfull apprehensions, whose losse takes its rise from selfe beliefe [It. propria credenza].
1862 Brit. Q. Rev. Oct. 292 Whole years passed before he attained that self-confidence and self-belief which, once acquired, were never lost.
1921 N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 511 You must be either quickened by an unquenchable self-belief or warmed at the fire of men's responsive sympathy to write at all.
2011 Daily Tel. 14 July 21/3 He has that unshakeable self-belief that often surrounds prodigies like a mysterious force-field.
self-blanching adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈblɑːn(t)ʃɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈblan(t)ʃɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈblæn(t)ʃɪŋ/
designating a (variety of) vegetable in which certain parts of the plant become naturally whitened, esp. where a part of the plant prevents light from reaching another part.Cf. blanch v.1 3.
ΚΠ
1859 Gardeners' Chron. 15 Jan. 34/2 (advt.) This is perhaps the largest Cos Lettuce in cultivation..being tender, crisp, self blanching, and stands longer than any other variety before running to seed.
1935 Science 9 Aug. 133/2 The celery used was of the Golden Self-Blanching variety grown in the greenhouse in eight-inch pots.
2016 Redlands (Calif.) Daily Facts (Nexis) 22 May d29 Self-blanching cauliflower plants have leaves that naturally curl over the top of the plant and block the flower head from light exposure.
self-carriage n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkarɪdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkɛrɪdʒ/
Dressage and Horse Riding the ability of a horse to move or stand in a balanced manner without support or interference from its rider; the quality or state of moving or standing in this way.
ΚΠ
1963 D. S. Ainsworth et al. Individual Sports for Women 200/2 Self-carriage. Ability of horse to balance properly without support from rider's hands.
1997 Gallop! Jan. 52/1 It's much more important to get the horse balanced, loose and in self-carriage rather than trying to force a stiff horse into these difficult movements.
2007 Horse & Rider Oct. 40/1 The problem with your mare is that she finds self-carriage difficult, so is unable to keep an outline in trot and canter.
self-censorship n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsɛnsəʃɪp/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsɛnsərˌʃɪp/
control of one's own speech, writing, or actions, so as to avoid what is considered undesirable or unsuitable.
ΚΠ
1845 N. P. Willis Dashes at Life with Free Pencil 163/1 One year of such united self-censorship would so purify the public habit of news-reading, that an offence against propriety would at least startle and alarm the public sense.
1932 Burlington Mag. May 265/2 So restrained is his manner, so constant his self-censorship,..that a vital principle will be enshrined in one brief sentence.
2015 Toronto Star (Nexis) 20 May a12 A climate of fear that leads to self-censorship, adding to the veil of ignorance behind which the government operates.
self-clamp adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈklamp/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈklæmp/
Printing and Bookbinding designating a paper cutting machine having a clamp which automatically adjusts to secure varying amounts of paper, or the cutting done by a machine of this kind; (also as n.) such a clamp itself.
ΚΠ
1878 Sci. Amer. 22 June 396/1 (advt.) Diamond Self Clamp Paper Cutter.
1914 J. J. Pleger Bookbinding & its Auxilliary Branches II. 81 Run down the clamp, provided the machine has a hand clamp; an automatic or self-clamp requires nothing more than to pull the lever.
2005 Times of India 29 May 15/3 Fully automatic self-clamp programatic cutting.
self-commune v.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjuːn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjun/
intransitive to converse or communicate with oneself; to contemplate or reflect, esp. in solitude.
ΚΠ
1752 R. Rolt Poet. Epist. 28 Self-communing, let me stray O'er the solitary way.
1845 D. Jerrold Hist. St. Giles & St. James iii. 98 Then did Mr. Capstick walk up and down behind his counter, self-communing.
a1924 L. H. Sullivan Democracy (1961) 54 Do not all men self commune in a universal language when they are alone and carefully dumb with their thoughts?
2004 M. W. Young Malinowski vii. 125 The Canary Islands..became for Malinowski a touchstone of what it meant to self-commune in comparative solitude.
self-communing n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjuːnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjunɪŋ/
the action of conversing or communicating with oneself; contemplation or reflection, esp. in solitude; (also) an act or instance of this.
ΚΠ
1665 Christ Confessed viii. 100 Commune with your selves. Self-communing is a ready step to sound confession.
1799 C. Cooke Battleridge I. viii. 131 He is afflicted of the Lord, both in body and spirit, and spends his time chiefly in self-communing and in prayer.
1836 C. G. F. Gore Mrs. Armytage II. v. 65 He..would check himself and laugh in the midst of his self-communing, as he sauntered, hour after hour, amid the solitudes of Holywell Park.
1927 E. M. Forster Aspects of Novel iii. 67 The..self-communings which politeness and shame prevent him from mentioning.
2011 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 26 Mar. (Review section) 21 It is the self-communing out loud which holds the first part of the novel together.
self-communing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjuːnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjunɪŋ/
characterized by self-communing; that self-communes.
ΚΠ
1826 Wesleyan-Methodist Mag. Feb. 144/1 He stoop'd o'er the dead man's grave, And gazed with self-communing air For a short space in silence there.
1941 G. Sampson Conc. Cambr. Hist. Eng. Lit. v. 255 The halting, suffering, distracted, self-communing character of Hieronimo.
2008 Washington Post (Nexis) 14 Oct. c7 Fragile, halting, always searching—the phrasing Schiff conjured in these slow movements might as well have come from the rarefied, self-communing world of the late sonatas.
self-communion n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjuːnɪən/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkəˈmjunjən/
conversation or communication with oneself; contemplation, reflection (esp. in solitude); = self-communing n.
ΚΠ
1661 G. Swinnock Door of Salvation 207 Self-communion is one special help to sin-confusion, and sound conversion.
1768 C. Nicolls Serm. occasioned by Death of Rev. Mr. Doughty, 9 The duty of this self-communion..is indeed absolutely necessary.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I xci. 48 His self-communion with his own high soul.
1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist iv. 186 The impression which effaced his troubled selfcommunion was that of a mirthless mask reflecting a sunken day from the threshold of the college.
2001 Statesman (India) (Nexis) 19 May The lyrics as well as the tunes..leave on the critical listener a feeling of self-communion enabling him or her to recapture the dream state.
† self-conference n. Obsolete an instance of talking, conversing, or deliberating with oneself.
ΚΠ
1628 R. Harris 2 Serm. at Oxford i. 4 Hereof come those λόγισμοι, selfe conferences, or reasonings, as Paul termes them.
1745 J. Mason Self-knowledge i. xi. 192 Such a Self-Conference improves more in true wisdom.
1810 Beau Monde Jan. 274/2 A kind of self conference, in which a man may be said to be communicating with his own feelings.
1887 Girl's Own Paper 10 Dec. 170/2 After a brief self-conference, my aunt decided to mention the little scene in the corridor.
self-confession n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkənˈfɛʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkənˈfɛʃ(ə)n/
official or public acknowledgement of one's crimes, misdeeds, or faults; avowal, esp. in writing, of something of which one is ashamed; (also) an act or instance of this.
ΚΠ
1650 Perfect Diurnall No. 36. 429 Every such person convict before a Iustice of the Peace or other cheife Officer by the Oath of two Witnesses, or self-confession, for the first fault to be commit to Prison.
1736 Disc. Witchcraft 22 Nor must we doubt the Truth of these Things, which the holy Inquisition has..found to be true, as well from the Testimony of Witnesses, as also from the self Confession of Delinquents.
1847 Atlas 23 Jan. 63/3 He might give prominence to those peculiar characteristics which were exhibited in their practice, their lot in life, or their self confessions.
1923 F. G. Ellerton Let. 4 Nov. in J. Bailey Lett. & Diaries (1935) 236 I take it that the pargoletta passage is of the nature of a self-confession on Dante's part.
2016 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 22 Jan. a7 In the 1950s, officials forced many intellectuals to write letters of self-confession as a means of subjugating them to Mao's ideas.
self-conflicting adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkənˈflɪktɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkənˈflɪktɪŋ/
having or characterized by internal contradictions or incompatibility; (of two or more opinions, arguments, feelings, etc.) that contradict or are incompatible with each other.
ΚΠ
1634 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. Hist. New Test. (STC 12640.7) i. 117 What a selfe-conflicting, and prodigious creature is a wicked man, left over to his owne thoughts.
1819 Morning Post 11 Dec. Two solitary, untenable, self-conflicting arguments.
1912 Washington Post 7 Dec. 2/5 Its fierce, self-conflicting, self-tormenting passions.
2013 Business Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 31 May In the novel, protagonist Pip undergoes a self-conflicting transformation from wide-eyed earnest boy to wealthy gentleman who ironically begins to despise his humble roots.
self-constituted adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkɒnstᵻtjuːtᵻd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈkɒnstᵻtʃuːtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkɑnstəˌt(j)udəd/
(of an institution, body, etc.) established or created by its members, without reference to external authority; (of a person) that has assumed the specified position or role without authority or endorsement.In quot. 1657: (of the condition of Christhood) assumed without the authority of doctrine or the Gospel.
ΚΠ
1657 C. Wade Quakery Slain 26 They do destroy totally their self-constituted, perfect, holy Christhood, by their thereby acknowledging, that they have sin in them.
1769 T. Smollett Hist. & Adventures of Atom I. 104 There was one Taycho, who had raised himself to great consideration in this self-constituted college of the mob.
1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor viii, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. I. 245 The old gentleman, his self-constituted companion.
1848 J. D. Bligh Let. 13 Apr. in M. Mösslang et al. Brit. Envoys Germany (2006) III. 230 The complete success of the self-constituted Parliament at Frankfurt.
1911 Everybody's Mag. Jan. 123/1 Now and then one will hear a self-constituted authority on public dramatic taste..declare that the time is ripe for a costume drama.
2012 Business Day (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 7 Nov. Tax practitioners in SA largely relied on regulation by self-constituted professional bodies and not by law.
self-constraint n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfkənˈstreɪnt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfkənˈstreɪnt/
constraint imposed by oneself on one's actions; self-restraint.
ΚΠ
1654 W. Montagu Miscellanea Spiritualia: 2nd Pt. ix. 170 The very outward handsom carriage of crosses and injuries, without any interior conformitie, costs us much self-constraint.
1766 tr. J.-F. Marmontel Moral Tales (ed. 2) I. 93 The height of misery is to pass one's life in fear and self-constraint.
1878 London Soc. Oct. 301/2 He was strong enough now to derive strength and benefit, and not harm, from the exertion and self-constraint.
1953 D. F. Pocock tr. E. Durkheim Sociol. & Philos. ii. 36 The act..cannot be accomplished without effort and self-constraint.
2013 South China Morning Post (Nexis) 3 Oct. 14 It is important for shop owners and tenants to exercise self-constraint and not to trespass on the pavement.
self-cooker n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkʊkə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkʊkər/
a cooking apparatus which functions without being attended to; esp. a sealed unit which retains the heat of partially cooked food, so that it continues to cook without further application of heat.
ΚΠ
1898 Boston Globe 11 Nov. 8/5 (headline) German sergeant killed because a ‘self-cooker’ turned out poor food.
1919 Chambers's Jrnl. Apr. 269/1 Self-cookers working on the hay-box principle.
1999 J.-L. Flandrin & M. Montanari Food (2013) 550 Steaming in various kinds of baskets, couscous makers, and self-cookers has also become popular.
self-cure n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkjʊə/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈkjɔː/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkjʊ(ə)r/
a cure effected by a person suffering from a disease, disorder, etc., without medical intervention; (also as a mass noun) the action or practice of curing oneself without medical intervention.Earliest in figurative context.
ΚΠ
a1700 J. Dryden 4th Pt. Misc. Poems (1716) 95 But I, for his sake will never again Make Wounds that admit a Self-cure to their Pain.
?1797 C. B. Godfrey Hist. & Pract. Treat. Venereal Dis. 131 An adherence to his [sc. the Doctor's] principles of self cure, has materially extended my business.
1865 Rogues & Rogueries N.Y. (rev. ed.) (end matter) (advt.) Advertises no doctor or medicine, but gives full and plain instructions for self cure by simple means within reach of all.
1910 E. Wilder & E. M. Taylor (title) Self help and self cure: a primer of psychotherapy.
2002 Jrnl. Infectious Dis. 185 1647/2 The Kenyans more readily obtained self-cures or had lower virus load.
self-dealing n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdiːlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdilɪŋ/
Law (originally and chiefly U.S.) action or conduct in which a position of trust held by a trustee, company director, or the like is used for personal gain, rather than to serve the interests of beneficiaries, shareholders, etc.
ΚΠ
1931 Harvard Law Rev. 44 1285 Such a practice is open to the objections of self-dealing, of double profit, and of the danger of the fiduciary's divided interest.
1977 Wall St. Jrnl. (Nexis) 22 July 5/4 Bank had filed action..charging former officers with financial self-dealing and breach of fiduciary duty.
1983 B. A. K. Rider Insider Trading iv. 243 The Companies Act 1980 has significantly tightened up the existing law and practice in regard to self-dealing transactions, rendering them illegal in many cases.
2017 Bond Buyer (Nexis) 6 Apr. Lawson and his wife Pamela engaged in self-dealing by abusing their positions as co-trustees of a deceased client's trust.
self-decimation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdɛsᵻˈmeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdɛsəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/
destruction, ruin, or serious harm (unintentionally) inflicted by a group, community, etc., upon itself.
ΚΠ
1922 Glasgow Observer 18 Nov. 6 If Ireland was to be saved from self-decimation.
1971 Ski Oct. 122/1 Nothing seems to stop snowmobilers themselves, even self-decimation.
2011 J. Boice Good & Ghastly 151 Even a thousand years ago in the moments of quiet before man's storm of self-decimation we probably did a lot of the same things we do now.
self-decohering adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdiːkə(ʊ)ˈhɪərɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdikoʊˈhɪrɪŋ/
now historical and rare designating a coherer (coherer n.) in which the iron filings which form a conductive path when a radio transmission is received are automatically scattered once the transmission ends.
ΚΠ
1900 Electrician 9 Mar. 713/1 The third variety of coherer that I have invented is undoubtedly the best. It works with filings, and is entirely self-decohering.
1992 Electronics World Mar. 214/2 Self-decohering detectors soon made their appearance, one of them being the carbon microphone.
self-definition n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdɛfᵻˈnɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdɛfəˈnɪʃ(ə)n/
statement or description of one's essential nature, character, or role in life or society; an act or instance of this.
ΚΠ
1845 Eng. Rev. Mar. 90 We fear that there will ever be the same feeling in our people, when it is attempted to use coercive courts for the mere purpose of self-definition.
1957 M. J. Huntingdon in R. K. Merton Student-physician 181 First-year students..think of each other primarily as students. This is reflected in their self-definitions.
2014 New Yorker 3 Nov. 37/2 Shopping and cooking and dining out in a way that was given over to self-definition and self-expression and identity-creation.
self-designer n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈzʌɪnə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈzaɪnər/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈzaɪnər/
†(a) a person who acts solely in order to serve his or her own ends, esp. in a devious manner (obsolete); (b) a person who designs a product himself or herself, as opposed to buying or using something designed by a professional.
ΚΠ
1653 E. Gee Treat. Prayer iv. 362 These self-designers (like the Samaritans in Ezra, coming in to joyn with the children of the Captivity in building the Temple, on purpose to cross it).
1708 J. Humfrey Farther Acct. Late Prophets 10 If Mr. Lacy was an Impostor, a Cheat, a Self-designer, he would be wary, and have a Care to go no farther in the Things he does than was mete.
1954 Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News 10 Nov. 1/7 (advt.) Hint to self-designers: did you know Crompton's new lush velveteen is easy-to-sew?
2014 N. Franke in M. Dodgson et al. Oxf. Handbk. Innovation Managem. v. 93 Products designed as gifts for others are more highly valued by the self-designer than those designed for one's own use.
self-development n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈvɛləpm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈvɛləpmənt/
,
/ˌsɛlfdiˈvɛləpmənt/
†(a) something that develops independently (obsolete rare); (b) the action or process of developing one's character or abilities.
ΚΠ
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biographia Literaria I. xii. 275 Intelligence is a self-development, not a quality supervening to a substance.
1827 J. Jamieson Dict. Mech. Sci. 2 The education of the understanding, by awakening the method of self-development, was the object of the great Plato.
1839 Penny Satirist 27 July 2/2 Every individual in his self development, meets with that in another which keeps down the lofty aspirations of his vanity.
1929 C. E. Martin Politics of Peace vi. 105 Education is therefore the gateway to the higher life, and to the best individual self-development.
2016 Guardian (Nexis) 23 May After this program on self-esteem and self-development, I am now freer and I feel confident enough to speak my mind.
self-direction n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈrɛkʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfdʌɪˈrɛkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈrɛkʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌdaɪˈrɛkʃ(ə)n/
management of one's own behaviour, lifestyle, or activities without guidance; also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > [noun]
repressiona1413
governailc1425
willc1480
self-rule1532
coldness1548
stay1556
presentness of mind1598
coolness1607
cold blooda1609
temper1611
self-discipline1612
retention?1615
presence of mind?1624
self-governance1630
retentiveness1641
self-command1651
self-mastery1652
self-control1653
self-direction1653
self-restraint1656
self-possession1665
possessednessa1698
self-regulation1698
possession1703
retenue1747
sang-froid1750
self-collection1761
render1768
self-collectedness1805
self-repression1821
self-containedness1835
unimpulsiveness1860
cool-headedness1881
sophrosyne1889
cool1964
1653 S. Gardiner Moses & Aaron Brethren 4 Every man was left to his own government and self-direction; doing what was good in his own eyes.
1798 Bp. R. Watson Addr. People Great Brit. 29 The physical strength of the bulk of a nation is irresistible, but it is incapable of self-direction.
1862 G. J. Holyoake Logic of Life 11 Independence is self-direction, self-sustainment, but not lawlessness.
1921 Amer. Jrnl. Public Health 11 526/2 Physical education..is charged with training for self-direction in the standards of social behavior and of hygiene.
2008 Working Mother Aug. 43/1 This kind of education requires more self-direction and discipline than traditional classes would.
self-disclosure n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈskləʊʒə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈskloʊʒər/
communication of information about oneself or one's feelings; an act or instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > [noun] > self-revelation
self-revelation1651
self-revealing1803
self-disclosure1826
self-revealment1854
1826 New Monthly Mag. 17 401 The struggle between shame that would hide unhallowed passion, and of passion that would burst out in self-disclosure.
1889 G. S. Merriam Story W. & L. Smith vi. 54 For a true view of his character, her description is the fit supplement to such self-disclosure as our last chapter contains.
1978 Counseling Alcoholic Clients (National Center for Alcohol Educ.) 26/1 All counselors should recognise the value of the ‘here and now’ self-disclosures that foster a climate of trust and openness.
2004 G. R. Wainwright Headless Chickens, Laidback Bears iii. xxv. 155 When two people meet who are never likely to meet again, there is also a ‘stranger value’ which may increase the amount and speed of self-disclosure.
self-discovery n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈskʌv(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈskəv(ə)ri/
the action or process of acquiring insight into one's character, feelings, desires, etc.
ΚΠ
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 174 The Spirit of the Lord Jesus..presents to the soule the safety and happinesse of selfe-discovery.
1869 Boston Investigator 16 June 51/5 Nothing facilitates this better sort of self-discovery so much as contact with human nature in its nobler forms.
1962 D. E. Fehrenbacher Prelude to Greatness vii. 143 A change gradually came over Lincoln during 1859; this was his year of self-discovery.
2015 L. Williamson Art of being Normal (2016) xxxv. 257 I've been envisioning a cinematic adventure full of self-discovery, bonding and life-defining moments.
self-disposal n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdᵻˈspəʊzl/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfdəˈspoʊz(ə)l/
control or command of one's own life.
ΚΠ
1652 J. Wright tr. J.-P. Camus Nature's Paradox iv. 195 Beeing in full capacity of Understanding and Self-disposall.
1755 Adventures Dick Hazard i. 7 That secret Satisfaction, which every Breast confesses at being vested with some Degree of Self disposal and Command.
1855 Musical World 8 Sept. 578/1 The State has advanced through Society to the denial of the free self-disposal of the individual.
1921 Scand. Stud. 6 179 The affection of the woman has to be transferred to her own husband, and this can be done only as she is allowed by him absolute liberty of self-disposal.
2011 J. M. Sheveland Piety & Responsibility v. 199 Rather than juxtaposing freedom and obedience as alternatives, they..are..truly united in and requisite for persons' authentic self-disposal.
self-donation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdə(ʊ)ˈneɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdoʊˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
devotion of one's life, time, energy, etc., to another or for a cause; the giving of oneself.
ΚΠ
1652 E. Benlowes Theophila iv. 52 O, Self Donation! peerlesse Guift, unknown! Now since that He is Thine, be never Thou thine own!
1861 Rambler May 82 In the authentic documents connected with this transaction, we do not find a word about the self-donation of the Irish to the Pope.
1925 E. Underhill Mystics of Church iii. 65 The history of St. Anthony..roused Augustine's instinct for heroic self-donation.
2006 Church Times 30 June 17/3 One of the key characteristics of love is self-donation.
self-dramatizer n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdramətʌɪzə/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈdrɑːmətʌɪzə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdræməˌtaɪzər/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈdrɑməˌtaɪzər/
a person who dramatizes his or her situation or feelings; a melodramatic person.
ΚΠ
1931 Hamilton (Ohio) Evening Jrnl. 13 June 4/6 Luck is the sporific [probably read soporific] which consoles the self-dramatizer.
1960 Rev. Eng. Stud. 11 17 Othello is of course a sentimentalist and self-dramatizer.
2011 New Yorker 25 July 87/2 She's a bright and funny self-dramatizer, and almost certainly a mad fantasist.
self-dramatization n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdramətʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfdrɑːmətʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdræməˌtaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌdræmədəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌdrɑməˌtaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌdrɑmədəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
dramatization of one's situation or feelings; melodramatic behaviour.Originally with reference to a natural style of acting in which the actor draws on his or her own feelings to identify with the role played.
ΚΠ
1843 Era 25 June 5/4 No actor within our memory possessed the same facility of self-dramatisation, the same power of complete abstraction.
1900 Q. Rev. 192 34 With Byron's amplitude of self-dramatisation, there was but that one traditional step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
1962 W. H. Auden Dyer's Hand (1963) 508 We are shown Antony talking to his friends in a wrought-up state of self-dramatization and self-pity.
2005 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 26 May 21/2 Histrionic Personal Disorder..is characterized by self-dramatization, attention-seeking, and a craving for novelty and excitement.
self-dramatizing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdramətʌɪzɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈdrɑːmətʌɪzɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdræməˌtaɪzɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈdrɑməˌtaɪzɪŋ/
characterized by or given to self-dramatization; melodramatic.
ΚΠ
1926 Slavonic Rev. 4 768 A wonderful essay of Bulgakov..which draws a sharp contrast between self-dramatising heroism on the one side and selfless public service on the other.
a1974 R. Crossman Diaries (1975) I. 339 I had noticed already that Ray Gunter was a dramatic, self-dramatizing kind of chairman.
2007 J. Rosen Supreme Court 14 He has a self-dramatizing tendency that leads him to agonize about cases, in public and private.
self-drilling adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdrɪlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdrɪlɪŋ/
designating a screw that does not require the drilling of a pilot hole, typically having a fluted tip that resembles a drill bit.
ΚΠ
1904 Patents for Inventions: Abridg. Specif. Mechanism & Mill Gearing 194/2 Pulleys, collars, &c. are fixed to shafts by self-drilling pointed steel set-screws.
1961 Pop. Sci. Jan. 186/2 You need no starting hole to drive these self-drilling screws.
2006 Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampsh.) 24 Apr. 21 (advt.) There are also self-drilling screws available to make the job easier.
self-dropping adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdrɒpɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdrɑpɪŋ/
(of a machine or device) that causes something to drop out automatically when required; (of a door, shutter, etc.) that drops down automatically.
ΚΠ
1863 Burlington (Iowa) Daily Hawk-eye 9 Mar. (advt.) A new Corn Planter, self dropping, for sale.
1910 Times 6 July 17 Windows might have..self-dropping shutters of rolled-up metal or asbestos.
1961 G. Farwell Vanishing Australians xi. 149 Best way [of trapping alligators] is to build a yard with a self-dropping door, then sling a big hunk of stale meat inside.
2005 S. Luo & J. Zheng in Z. Yu et al. 1st Internat. RILEM Symp. Design, Performance & Use Self-consolidating Concrete lxvii. 638 Now the self-dropping mixers are popular, especially for above strengthening projects with less amounts of concrete.
self-dual adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdjuːəl/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈdʒuːəl/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈd(j)uəl/
Mathematics that is dual (in various senses) to itself.
ΚΠ
1892 Proc. London Math. Soc. 23 195 Elementary absolute self-dual functions are [etc.].
1954 Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 5 310 In 1916 Professor B. A. Bernstein published an elegant, self-dual set of postulates for Boolean algebras.
2003 W. C. Huffman & V. Pless Fund. Error-correcting Codes ix. 338 In this chapter, we study the family of self-dual codes.
self-easing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈiːzɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈizɪŋ/
(a) that eases the mind or conscience of the person in question; †(b) (of an apparatus, device, etc.) that slackens or loosens itself automatically when required (obsolete).
ΚΠ
1657 G. Scortreth Warning-piece for Slumbring Virgins 115 A self-condemning Conscience..awakened out of self-pleasing, and self-easing security, by the scourging rod of the Almighty.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic Index 790 Self-easing coupling.
1880 Leeds Mercury 4 Aug. The patent self-easing cart collars..recommend themselves to all who wish to ease their horses when they have sore shoulders.
1905 B. Capes Jay of Italy xvi. 200 There was no..ordinance issuing from his lips, which he would not accept and act upon, after the necessary little show of self-easing bluster.
2012 M. Willett Sea Garden 150 It is a quick and slippery slope that descends from the comforting of each other to the tempting, self-easing apportioning of the responsibility.
self-educator n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɛdjᵿkeɪtə/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈɛdʒᵿkeɪtə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɛdʒəˌkeɪdər/
(a) a person who educates himself or herself, without attending lessons or classes; (b) a book, journal, etc., designed for use in educating oneself.
ΚΠ
1831 Amer. Ann. Educ. & Instr. 1 238 Jacotot's system of intellectual emancipation,..which he claims to be..sufficient to render every man capable of being a self-educator.
1841 Cleveland (Ohio) Daily Herald 13 Nov. The first No. of this self-educator has been published, and commends itself to parents as well as youths.
1948 Medium Ævum 17 1 (title) A medieval self-educator.
2015 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 4 July (Culture section) 10 An eager reader and compulsive self-educator.
self-efficacy n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɛfᵻkəsi/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɛfəkəsi/
(a) Philosophy a personal power or capacity to produce an intended effect (rare); (b) chiefly Psychology a person's belief in his or her ability to effect change in his or her life, achieve goals, or produce desired results.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > [noun] > self-confidence
self-assurance1595
self-confidence1604
self-possession1665
aplomb1828
self-assuredness1858
self-efficacy1930
swag2002
1930 Jrnl. Philos. Stud. 5 384 Personal efficacies, physically and psychically sensed in the powers of others or in self-efficacies, were things in the days when magic prevailed.
1965 Edwardsville (Illinois) Intelligencer 10 Dec. 12/8 The adolescent..searches for a sense of competence and self efficacy.
1989 S. Peele Diseasing of Amer. i. 11 This outlook, called self-efficacy, means that people believe they can bring about desired outcomes in life.
2017 Washington Post (Nexis) 12 May a19 Transcripts would also include ‘mastered’ character traits and soft skills such as persistence, self-efficacy or the ability to ‘sustain an empathetic and compassionate outlook’.
self-elation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻˈleɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfiˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
pride in oneself or one's achievements; (chiefly in negative sense) self-satisfaction, vainglory.
ΚΠ
1650 J. Godolphin Holy Limbeck 172 Little think our Philosophical Longobards..that their self-elation contracts this guilt, when Idolizing their own endowments.
1795 H. Hunt Divine Presence Best Protection 21 Self elation or despising of others: that acknowledged sin of this nation.
1844 W. H. Mill 5 Serm. Temptation Christ v. 133 The grounds of self-elation..were..the revelations with which he had been favoured by God.
1913 J. Orr Hist. & Lit. Early Church xi. 151 With this tendency to self-elation went a strong dash of personal vanity and growing love of splendour.
1993 B. Ramsay Submitting to Freedom iii. 62 Rather than work their way through the collapse of self-definitions, Americans simply raised over them a set of clichés that would provide a feeling of self-elation.
self-emptying adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɛm(p)tɪɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɛm(p)tiɪŋ/
(a) (of a quality, action, etc.) that frees a person from personal or selfish concerns; characterized by selflessness (now rare); (b) (of a machine, device, etc.) that empties itself automatically.
ΚΠ
1644 J. Caryl Saints Thankfull Acclamation 16 Praise is a self-emptying, and a God-exalting dutie.
1747 J. Willison Sacramental Medit. & Advices xviii. 89 Faith..is a Soul-humbling and Self-emptying Grace, and lays the Soul very low before God.
1853 Weekly Indiana State Sentinel 20 Oct. Self-emptying Bucket Windlass, invented at Michigan City.
1941 Pop. Mech. Oct. 4/2 (heading) Self-emptying ash tray for car clamps on ventilator window.
1971 Odessa (Texas) Amer. 10 July 5 a/3 He was thinking of the self emptying love of God that prompted Him to give up His son.
2016 Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 30 July 55 Shower and wheelchair transfer automation, cleaning robots and self-emptying garbage systems were some of the innovative ideas for the industry.
self-equilibrating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfiːkwᵻˈlʌɪbreɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛkwᵻˈlʌɪbreɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfiːkwᵻˈlɪbreɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛkwᵻˈlɪbreɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfiːˈkwɪlᵻbreɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfᵻˈkwɪlᵻbreɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɛˈkwɪləˌbreɪdɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfiˈkwɪləˌbreɪdɪŋ/
(of a process, system, etc.) that keeps itself in a state of equilibrium.
ΚΠ
1896 Philos. Trans. 1895 (Royal Soc.) A. 186 ii. 699 They [sc. forces] are thus of the nature of an internal stress in the medium, and are self-equilibrating for each circuital current.
1947 Mind 56 58 The problem of a self-equilibrating physical system can now be attacked with both vigor and generality.
2013 Australian (Nexis) 24 May 10 The external accounts under such conditions are self-equilibrating and hence not a policy problem.
self-excuse n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻkˈskjuːs/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛkˈskjuːs/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪkˈskjus/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛkˈskjus/
the action or fact of offering apology or justification for one's actions or faults; a reason given to excuse one's actions or faults.
ΚΠ
1779 Morning Chron. 17 May Having very fully defended himself, and rather made his reply a severe retaliation than a matter of self-excuse.
1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. iv. xxvii. 245 All screening self-excuse..forsook him.
1916 D. G. Phillips Second Generation vii. 101 He..felt that he had done a contemptible thing,..and he was almost despising himself, looking about the while for self-excuses.
2012 Newsweek (U.S. ed.) (Nexis) 12 Mar. 36 Schmidt is left to wrestle with his conscience.., gallantly casting aside all self-excuse and self-deception.
self-exposure n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻkˈspəʊʒə/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛkˈspəʊʒə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪkˈspoʊʒər/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛkˈspoʊʒər/
(a) (deliberate) exposure of oneself to danger, censure, or an undesirable situation; (b) (now chiefly) revelation of one's thoughts, beliefs, or feelings; exposure of (often sensitive or embarrassing) information about oneself.
ΚΠ
1744 E. Young Complaint: Night the Seventh 9 Why beats thy Bosom with illustrious Dreams Of Self-exposure, laudable, and great?
1836 Standard 7 Oct. His letter..is one of the richest examples of self-exposure that have lately come to our hand.
1848 Knickerbocker Jan. 77 General officers, regular and volunteer, who vied with each other in self-exposure and daring.
1925 P. Bottome Old Wine xxix. 280 She hated self-exposure, feeling that all emotion should be as perfectly concealed as the action of the lungs.
1994 Current Direct. in Psychol. Sci. 3 20/3 Self-exposure in the form of dating practice..reduced dating anxiety.
2010 New Yorker 25 Jan. 73/1 These TV shows helped create and promulgate the wider culture of self-discussion and self-exposure without which the recent flurry of memoir-writing and reading would be unthinkable.
self-expressive adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfᵻkˈsprɛsɪv/
,
/ˌsɛlfɛkˈsprɛsɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪkˈsprɛsɪv/
,
/ˌsɛlfˌɛkˈsprɛsɪv/
exhibiting or characterized by self-expression; (of a work, activity, etc.) expressive of a person's feelings, thoughts, or ideas.
ΚΠ
1848 Athenæum 27 May 537/1 The specimens of pure and self-expressive sculpture which the same master produced.
1933 Bull. Amer. Libr. Assoc. 15 Dec. 726/2 Enforced leisure, coupled with reduced incomes, has turned many persons from..commercial entertainment to self expressive and homemade recreations.
2010 Jerusalem Post (Nexis) 7 Mar. 13 The Millennial generation is forging an identity that is confident, self-expressive, optimistic and tolerant.
self-feeder n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfiːdə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfidər/
(a) a device or machine designed to continuously and automatically supply itself with material; a component of a machine designed to supply it with material in this way (now rare); (b) a device that provides animals with a continuous supply of food, allowing them to feed themselves as and when they want.
ΚΠ
1825 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 2 Mar. Patent cylindrical straw cutters..: Smaller size, with a permanent bottom, (but self feeder) $45.
1874 Biennial Rep. State Agric. Coll. (Agric. Dept. Corvallis Coll., Oregon, U.S.) 31 The ration fed to the hand-fed was soaked twelve hours prior to feeding; that of the self-feeder was fed dry.
1970 Rotarian Feb. 9/2 (advt.) Just stack up the originals..and push the button. The self-feeder takes over, so you can take off.
2003 J. Davis Feedlotting Lambs 28 Once lambs are accustomed to this ration they can be fed from the self-feeders.
self-felony n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfɛləni/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfɛləni/
now rare a crime committed against oneself; spec. suicide (cf. felo-de-se n.).
ΚΠ
1616 R. Betts tr. King James VI & I Remonstr. Right of Kings 220 Beeing..poysoned onely by sent, or by contact, he may not be found guilty of selfe-fellonie, and the soule of the poore Tyrant in her flight out of the body may be innocent.
1713 J. Edwards Theologia Reformata II. iii. 538 A Man is a Thief to himself by Niggardliness... This is Self-Felony.
1819 Times 20 Jan. The consequence of a verdict of self-felony..must not be here considered.
2000 B. Smith Other Lover 64 The men on the wards had medicated themselves against self-felony and slept under their restraints.
self-fond adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfɒnd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfɑnd/
caring greatly or excessively for oneself or one's concerns; overly admiring or proud of oneself.
ΚΠ
1607 J. Sylvester tr. G. Goodwin Automachia sig. C8v Selfe-fond, Selfe-furious: and thus, wayward Elfe, I can not liue with nor without my Selfe.
1696 L. Milbourne tr. Christian Pattern Paraphras'd iii. xxxii. 190 Those who their own sole Interests regard, The self-fond, eager, curious, wandring Herd.
a1797 H. Walpole Mem. George II (1847) I. 222 The self-fondest and greatest of poets.
1858 Leeds Mercury 16 Oct. 8/1 One of those vain creatures so excessively self-fond that he was difficult to please.
1997 Guardian (Nexis) 25 Oct. 7 The BBC has been all over itself during this past 75th anniversary week, rather too self-fond.
self-fondness n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfɒn(d)nəs/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfɑn(d)nəs/
great or excessive liking for oneself; (excessive) admiration of or pride in oneself or one's achievements.
ΚΠ
1609 F. Greville Trag. Mustapha sig. Bv Shall selfe-fondnesse put out iust suspition? ---Conceit must not be guide of Loue or Anger.
1734 I. Watts Reliquiæ Juveniles (1789) 121 By the influence of the same native principle of flattery and self-fondness.
1800 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) I. 636 A man should nurse his opinions in privacy & self-fondness for a long time.
1939 P. Grainger Let. 25 Feb. in All-round Man (1994) 159 The selffondness of all the other races makes them eager to breed, work & get on with each other.
2014 C. Rawson Swift's Angers 17 The idiom is swaddled in the element of cute self-fondness.., an idiom determined to register self-praise but embarrassed to do so overtly.
self-friction n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈfrɪkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfrɪkʃ(ə)n/
rare friction resulting from the rubbing together of parts of the same thing.
ΚΠ
1869 W. J. M. Rankine Cycl. Machine & Hand-tools Pl.L 6 Self-friction feed motion.
2011 T. M. Nordlund Quantitative Understanding of Biosyst. xiv. 399 Common string is also rough, resulting in a high coefficient of self-friction.
self-fulfilment n.
Brit. /ˌsɛl(f)fʊlˈfɪlm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛl(f)fᵿ(l)ˈfɪlmənt/
(a) the fulfilment of a prophecy, promise, prediction, etc. (cf. the reflexive use of fulfil v. 5b); (b) full development of one's potential or the realizing of one's aspirations; satisfaction or happiness gained as a result of this.
ΚΠ
1821 T. De Quincey Confessions Eng. Opium-eater in London Mag. Sept. 305/2 The curse of a father was believed to have a supernatural power, and to pursue its object with a fatal necessity of self-fulfilment.
1875 Lippincott's Mag. July 100/1 His soul turned away with a bound, and soared far above all but self-fulfillment. He would subordinate everything to his art.
1936 Mind 45 242 He affirms the awareness of God to be ‘rooted in’ the human interest of self-fulfilment.
1951 Public Admin. Rev. 11 95/1 The social scientist's paradox is that his very generalizations tend to destroy themselves; conversely, they may have the effect of self-fulfillment, of bringing about what they predict.
2016 Times (Nexis) 16 Sept. (T2 section) 6 Active arts participation..increases feelings of self-fulfilment and purpose.
self-generating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈdʒɛnəreɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈdʒɛnəˌreɪdɪŋ/
that is generated by itself, rather than by some external force or agent.
ΚΠ
1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator (1748) III. xv. 145 What Numbers in another Season will be produced from its prolific and Self-generating Seed.
1865 H. Maudsley Meth. of Study of Mind 18 It is ridiculous to suppose that the man of genius is ever a fountain of self-generating energy.
1968 H. Harris Nucleus & Cytoplasm vi. 122 We are forced to consider how a set of conditions, initially produced in a cell by external stimuli, can become self-generating.
2004 S. Choquette Trust your Vibes 223 It's a self-generating vibration: The more you choose to love, the more love you'll create, and the more love you'll attract.
self-generation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfdʒɛnəˈreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/
spontaneous generation of something, without the need for an external force or factor to be present.
ΚΠ
1799 R. J. Thornton Philos. Med. (ed. 4) IV. 260 (heading) First cause, or self-generation of putrid fever.
1856 Leeds Mercury 19 Feb. 2/4 Its [sc. cheap postage] marvellous powers of self-generation are so great, that it is highly probable that in the course of a few years the revenue will not only equal, but exceed, the expenditure.
1950 Ess. & Stud. 3 37 Everything in his poetry goes to suggest that it was created..by a largely spontaneous..process of self-generation.
2005 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Apr. 39/2 The decades-old dream of generating a spontaneous magnetic field in a laboratory fluid dynamo was first realized in 2000, when two groups in Europe..independently achieved self-generation in large volumes of liquid sodium.
self-gotten adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɡɒtn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɡɑtn/
(a) poetic begotten by itself (rare); (b) acquired or obtained by oneself.
ΚΠ
1636 A. Cowley Poet. Blossomes (ed. 2) sig. E2 Let the selfe-gotten Phœnix rob his nest.
a1649 S. Crook Τα Διαϕεροντα (1658) i. xxxiv. 538 The hypocrite bragging of his rich store of self-gotten riches.
1822 Leeds Correspondent Jan. 39 As the latter are usually spending self-gotten fortunes, they have more at their immediate disposal than hereditary possessors.
1926 Youth's Compan. 1 July 476/1 The troubles of the golfer differ widely from the pitfalls and snares of any other sport in that they are all self-gotten; the wounds are all self-inflicted.
1940 W. H. D. Rouse tr. Nonnos Dionysiaca I. 181 The allwhite stone of Selene, which..waxes when Mene..milks out the self-gotten fire of Father Helios.
2010 E. Stump Wandering in Darkness x. 248 Samson takes God's gift of strength for granted, as if it were self-gotten.
self-gratification n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɡratᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɡrædəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
the satisfaction of one's needs or desires.
ΚΠ
1663 E. Waterhouse Fortescutus Illustratus viii. 129 These..whom the loaves and the miracles, and the sublimity of our Lords Divinity, made to follow him as a satisfaction of their curiosity, necessity, or such like self gratification.
1775 Monthly Rev. Aug. 97 The greatest part of Mr. Gray's life was spent in that kind of learned leisure, which has only self-improvement and self-gratification for its object.
1849 Univercœlum 3 Feb. 145/1 The simple instinct of appropriating every visible thing to self-preservation, and self-gratification, seems the first and earliest manifestation and effort of mind.
1955 ABA Jrnl. Apr. 309/1 The criminal's determination..may be based on the belief that self-gratification, or the accomplishment of one's own ends, is more important than other considerations.
2008 Ebony Mar. 56/2 Purchasing a car is not all about self-gratification.
self-hero-worship n.
Brit. /sɛlfˈhɪərəʊˌwəːʃɪp/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈhɪroʊˌwərʃəp/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈhiroʊˌwərʃəp/
excessive admiration of or regard for oneself; narcissism.
ΚΠ
1892 Republican Press (Ukiah, Calif.) 5 Feb. A self-lauding epistle that is calculated to inspire the common every day sinner with reverence and awe; a sample of self-hero-worship found usually in the history of saints.
1927 J. S. Huxley Relig. without Revelation iv. 130 ‘My country, right or wrong’..words which are immortal as the fittest inscription on the pedestal of the golden calf of self-hero-worship.
2001 A. Lentin Lloyd George & Lost Peace p. xi It comprises, to a significantly greater degree than most political memoirs, a striking example of what may be called self-hero-worship.
self-holder n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈhəʊldə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈhoʊldər/
(a) a ruler who holds absolute and unconstrained power, as opposed to by virtue of convention, a constitution, or endorsement by another party (now historical and rare); cf. autocrat n. 1 (b) an instrument or attachment designed to hold something in place by itself.
ΚΠ
1702 True Picture Anc. Tory 6 A Monarch is a Person that governs according to his own Will and Pleasure, as does the French King; he is a Self-Holder, as is the Czar of Muscovy.
1865 M. Mackenzie Use Laryngoscope 85 The Self-holder, or fixateur for holding the laryngeal mirror after introduction.
1948 B. D. Wolfe Three who made Revol. i. 29 Samoderzhetz, self-holder of power, was his [sc. the Russian Tsar] untranslatable Slavic title.
2006 J. Kirkup Evol. Surg. Instruments xix. 286/1 Assalini's artery tenaculums have sharp hooklike terminations that lock together to make the instrument an effective self-holder of vessels.
self-ignition n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪɡˈnɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/
the action or process of catching fire and burning without (apparent) external cause; cf. spontaneous combustion n. at spontaneous adj. 4b.
ΚΠ
1805 Balance & Columbian Repos. 23 July 236/3 The quality of self ignition in human bodies has been but lately discovered in Europe.
1927 Automobile Engineer 17 500/1 Compression ignition stands out clearly as the one factor controlling the onset of detonation in engine practice, this simultaneous activation of compressed combustion being what is understood by the ‘self-ignition temperature’ of a combustible.
2015 J. H. A. Kiel et al. in W. de Jong & J. R. van Ommen Biomass as Sustainable Energy Source xii. 397 Self-ignition can occur already at relatively low temperatures upon contact with ambient air.
self-impotent adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɪmpət(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɪmpədənt/
Botany now rare = self-sterile adj.
ΚΠ
1863 Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 7 550 It..remains to be seen, whether or not the microscope can reveal any change in the minute structure of the genitalia of such absolutely self-impotent individuals, in a comparative examination with others of the same species perfectly self-fertile.
1917 Genetics 2 509 E. Bernet, of Antibes, a man having a wide experience in crossing species of Cistus, found that their hybrids when fertile..were completely self-impotent.
1993 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 11 Aug. 5 About half of the flowering plants are self-impotent. The stigma and male organs, which are called anthers and carry pollen, often are close enough together to breed, but they never do.
self-impregnated adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɪmprɛɡneɪtᵻd/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪmˈprɛɡneɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻmˈprɛɡˌneɪdᵻd/
now rare (a) fertilized by male gametes from the same individual; (b) made pregnant without the involvement of another individual.
ΚΠ
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 48 The oyster..is self-impregnated.
1874 Bell's Life in London 21 Feb. 12/3 It is quite the exception..for a flower to be self-impregnated,..most seeds are fertilised by the vivifying pollen brought from other individual flowers by the agency of insects.
1952 S. L. London Dynamic Psychiatry v. 91 She has fears of becoming self-impregnated through the ingestion of food.
1990 Spy (N.Y.) Feb. 74/1 The sort that..speculates about whether a self-impregnated hermaphrodite's offspring would call it Mommy or Daddy.
2010 T. Wilkinson Egyptian World xxi. 308 He is said to have been born from the self-impregnated sun god Ra or Atum.
self-impregnating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɪmprɛɡneɪt/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪmˈprɛɡneɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻmˈprɛɡˌneɪt/
that carries out self-impregnation.
ΚΠ
1823 E. Home Lect. Compar. Anat. III. xiii. 405 (heading) On the ova of self-impregnating animals.
1922 Jrnl. Bot., Brit. & Foreign 60 295 The self-impregnating wild plants are homozygous.
2012 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 25 Aug. a19 The only technology the self-impregnating woman needs is a straw or turkey baster.
self-impregnation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪmprɛɡˈneɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɪmˌprɛɡˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
(a) fertilization of an animal, esp. a hermaphroditic animal, by male gametes from the same individual; (b) artificial insemination of a woman, esp. that she carries out on herself.
ΚΠ
1809 Universal Mag. Mar. 229/2 Is the drone, or the working bee, the male: or has the queen the power of self-impregnation?
1946 Amer. Midland Naturalist 36 480 Snails kept in solitary culture were observed attempting..autocopulation, the penis being extended to the female genital pore. Whether actual flow of sperm occurred could not be observed, but this indicates that self-impregnation may possibly occur in this manner.
1999 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 20 Dec. 10 Denied the chance to use her dead husband's sperm in this country, [she] took it abroad for self-impregnation.
2015 R. Cowen Common Ground 91 Over time an even wilder fertility myth took hold: that the hare was capable of self-impregnation.
† self-impregnator n. Obsolete rare an organism that impregnates or fertilizes itself; = self-fertilizer n. at self-fertilize v. Derivatives.
ΚΠ
a1793 J. Hunter in Descriptive Catal. Physiol. Series Compar. Anat. Mus. Royal Coll. Surg. (1833) I. 259 It is most probable that all Barnacles are of both sexes, and..self-impregnators, for I never could find two kinds of parts, so as to be able to say or even suppose the one was male the other female.
1867 Horticulturalist July 199 The vine is hardy, healthy, a self-impregnator, and productive of a handsome, large, light crimson fruit.
self-incriminating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˈkrɪmᵻneɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪŋˈkrɪmᵻneɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈkrɪməˌneɪdɪŋ/
(of one's speech, writing, etc.) that makes one appear guilty of a crime or misdemeanour.
ΚΠ
1862 Times 6 Jan. 8/ Nowhere but in the memoirs of Mr. Barry Lyndon could such an absolute, unconscious, and self-incriminating candour be discovered.
1921 Ruling Case Law 28 440 Constitutional provisions protecting witnesses from giving self-incriminating evidence should be so construed as to give the maximum of protection.
2004 New Scientist (Nexis) 20 Nov. 52 During interrogation, 8 of the 10 accused made self-incriminating statements, which they subsequently retracted.
self-incrimination n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnkrɪmᵻˈneɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪŋkrɪmᵻˈneɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˌkrɪməˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
the action of making oneself appear guilty of a crime or misdemeanour, esp. by something one says.
ΚΠ
1848 Justice of Peace 19 Feb. 114/2 These authorities..were overruled by a majority of the judges as irreconcileable with the maxim of law..which forbids compulsory self-incrimination.
1911 U.S. Rep. (Supreme Court) 221 388 The clear and simple directness of the privilege against self-incrimination.
2007 J. Braun Moonlight & Roses 82 ‘I'm not going to answer that question.’ ‘Ah, pleading the Fifth?’ ‘This has nothing to do with self-incrimination.’
self-incriminatory adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˈkrɪmᵻnət(ə)ri/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪŋˈkrɪmᵻnət(ə)ri/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪnkrɪmᵻˈneɪt(ə)ri/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪŋkrɪmᵻˈneɪt(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈkrɪmənəˌtɔri/
tending to or characterized by self-incrimination; (of one's speech, writing, etc.) that makes one appear guilty of a crime or misdemeanour.
ΚΠ
1861 Morning Chron. 12 Feb. It somewhat strains the principle of examination to carry it so far as to compel a self-incriminatory process of evidence.
1919 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 30 276 Entertaining as the stories and anecdotes are, some of them self-incriminatory, they do not tell us anything about the mechanism of the lapse.
2014 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 23 June d9 The only evidence against them was self-incriminatory statements they had made while in police custody.
self-inculcation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnk(ʌ)lˈkeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪŋk(ʌ)lˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌɪnkəlˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
the action or an act of instilling a habit, attitude, skill, etc., in oneself, by persistent repetition or self-instruction.
ΚΠ
1900 City of Grand Rapids & Kent County, Mich. 710/2 Much of his present advanced knowledge was gained through self inculcation.
1918 Encycl. Relig. & Ethics X. 168/1 The prayer [to Buddha] is in its ultimate significance a self-inculcation, a self-committal to the moral ideals of Buddhism.
2011 C. L. Shelton in M. W. Hughey & G. S. Parks Black Greek-let. Organizations 2.0 Comm. xi. 230 Have years of self-inculcation into ‘middle class’ demeanor by hundreds of thousands of sorority women transformed the negative imagery?
self-indexed adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɪndɛkst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɪnˌdɛkst/
now rare (of a book or collection of documents) containing its own index, as opposed to having one supplied in a separate volume or publication.
ΚΠ
1881 Science 8 Jan. p. i, (advt.) Utility Scrap Books.—No paste, pins, or springs, self-indexed.
1998 L. D. Szucs They became Americans iv. 136/1 Many naturalization records are bound into volumes that are either self-indexed..or have no index at all.
self-ingratiation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnɡreɪʃɪˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfɪŋɡreɪʃɪˈeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfɪnˌɡreɪʃiˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
the action or process of ingratiating oneself; = ingratiation n.
ΚΠ
1850 Home Jrnl. (N.Y.) 9 Feb. An American..would much mistake his ground were he to resort to any ‘art of pleasing’ principle for self-ingratiation, by way of counterbalancing his inevitable deficiency of hereditary titles.
1948 Commentary Nov. 417/2 Intelligence, humor, and charm is often humiliatingly exploited..as entertainment and self-ingratiation.
2009 Harvard Jrnl. Asiatic Stud. 69 365 The self-ingratiation with examiners, prostitution to clique leaders, and bribery of officials that preceded the preliminary metropolitan round of examinations.
self-injection n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfɪnˈdʒɛkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfᵻnˈdʒɛkʃ(ə)n/
the action of injecting oneself.
ΚΠ
1814 S. T. Coleridge Let. 19 May (1959) III. 494 You were so good as to procure..a Clyster Machine of most convenient construction for self-injection.
1895 L. S. Beale On Slight Ailments 235 Every now and then death occurs from an overdose [of morphine], in consequence of patients who have contracted this habit of self-injection losing all control over themselves.
1937 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 10 July 22/2 It fell to the practitioner to instruct him in the self-injection of insulin or liver extract.
2016 Times (Nexis) 13 Dec. 18 In October the health board announced that it had agreed in principle to open self-injection rooms, where users would also be able to buy medical-grade heroin as a safer alternative to street drugs.
self-injury n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɪn(d)ʒ(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɪndʒ(ə)ri/
harm or damage done to oneself; (now) spec. deliberate injury inflicted upon oneself, esp. as a manifestation of a psychiatric or psychological disorder; = self-harm n.
ΚΠ
1638 R. Younge Drunkard's Char. Ep. Ded. sig. A5v Vertue is destributive, and had rather accommodate many with selfe-injury, then bury benefits that might pleasure a multitude.
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. ii. ii. 157 The Mischief and Self-Injury of immoderate Desires.
1864 E. B. Pusey Daniel vii. 433 To secure the poor sufferer from self-injury, or from injuring others.
1921 C. L. Allen tr. R. Bing Textbk. Nerv. Dis. xxix. 451 My diagnosis of self-injury nearly brought me into an unpleasant situation for suspecting the ‘brave daughter’ of such a thing.
2012 Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent) (Nexis) 1 Sept. Self-injury can incorporate any number of acts such as deliberate burning, hitting and bruising.
† self-intruder n. Obsolete a person who intrudes upon someone or something; esp. a person who usurps an office, position, etc. (cf. intrude v. 3).
ΚΠ
a1653 H. Binning Fellowship with God (1671) xxvi. 241 Our Lord Jesus hath both skill and authority, he hath both the ability and the office, was not self intruder, or usurper.
1700 S. Stoddon Let. to Mr. Robert Burscough 25 We are as little for Uncommissionated Preachers and Self-intruders into the ministerial Office, as You.
1824 W. E. Andrews Crit. & Hist. Rev. Fox's Bk. Martyrs I. 398 The effects produced by those missionaries duly authorized to preach the light of the gospel, and those who go commissioned by self-intruders in the work of the vineyard.
1897 Q. Rev. July 88 The author..is absolutely a self-intruder. He thrusts in his wares.
self-kindness n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkʌɪn(d)nᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkaɪn(d)nᵻs/
regard for one's own well-being or happiness; kindness directed towards oneself.
ΚΠ
1651 J. Ogilby Fables of Æsop Paraphras'd ii. 19 Sit in State alone like Kings to fare, When with self-kindnesse struck, he thus began; I fear nor Dog nor Man.
1728 J. Balguy Found. Moral Goodness 66 This Circumstance renders Self-kindness less amiable, and less meritorious.
1872 H. Yerworth Poems of Passions 42 If stupid chastity is thine, Because of feeling dead and chill, By an ugliness of fashion, By cunning of self-kindness.
1963 Poetry 102 154 Anxiety is killed by self-kindness.
2013 Kindred Spirit Mar. 25/1 We need to recognise the need to be kind to ourselves. This is self-compassion and self-kindness.
self-laceration n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlflasəˈreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌlæsəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/
the action or an act of lacerating oneself, esp. as a religious ritual; (frequently, and in earliest use, figurative and in figurative contexts) extreme or excessive self-criticism.
ΚΠ
1684 R. Baxter Catholick Communion sig. A2v Is there no hope, that the World, at least the Learned part, may be healed of this self-laceration and distraction.
1811 J. Pratt in R. Cecil Wks. II. 407 (note) A dreadful description indeed of the barbarous self-lacerations, practised both by the Mexicans and Tlascalans, in the discharge of their religious duties.
1892 E. A. Abbott Anglican Career Cardinal Newman I. vii. 151 This savage, sarcastic self-laceration which, if persisted in, would result in moral and spiritual suicide.
1932 Amer. Jrnl. Semitic Lang. 48 80 There is an abundance of evidence of the practice of ritual self-laceration among the Hebrews in connection with the fertility cult.
2014 Sunday Times (Nexis) 21 Sept. 3 Confessional tones, with bowed head and supplicant hands—no self-pity, but not too much self-laceration either.
† self-left adj. Obsolete left to oneself or itself; left alone.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 93 His heart I know, how variable and vain Self-left . View more context for this quotation
self-linkage n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈlɪŋkɪdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈlɪŋkɪdʒ/
linkage (in various senses) occurring between two parts or components of the same thing.
ΚΠ
1899 Science 28 Apr. 607/2 Among the compounds of other elements self-linkage occurs in but few cases and is limited in extent.
1977 Jrnl. Protozool. 24 9/2 Pattern formation by self-linkage.
2013 Canad. Mineralogist 51 861 There is only one type of self-linkage of TS [= Titanium-Silicate] blocks.
self-loading adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈləʊdɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈloʊdɪŋ/
(a) (of a device or machine, esp. a firearm) having the capacity to load itself automatically; (b) (of ammunition) designed to be used in a self-loading firearm, typically being shorter than other cartridges of the same calibre (now chiefly historical).
ΚΠ
1821 Ladies' Lit. Cabinet 13 Oct. 184/2 Self-loading Cart.—Mr. David Newlin, of Virginia, has invented a cart for removing earth.
1850 Ladies' Repository Aug. 278/2 P. W. Porter, of Memphis, has made a self-loading rifle.
1899 Kynoch Jrnl. Oct. 2/2 Jones's self-loading cartridge case.
2010 Independent 15 June 3/1 Then the unmistakable cracks of high-velocity SLR (self-loading rifle) shooting started.
2012 R. Maze Webley Service Revolver 40 Wartime packets of seven .455in self-loading cartridges were prominently marked with ‘Not for revolvers’.
self-lock v.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈlɒk/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈlɑk/
(a) transitive to secure or lock (something) automatically; (b) intransitive to secure or lock into place automatically.
ΚΠ
1831 Trans. Soc. Arts, Manuf., & Commerce 48 155 These standards hold the ladder upright, and contain the means of self-locking or unlocking the ladder joints as they pass through.
1859 S. B. Bowles 4th Ann. Catal. Railroad Supplies 132 They are made to self-lock or not, at option.
1976 V. Canning Doomsday Carrier i. 6 The door swung back to self-lock.
2014 Indian Patents News 22 Apr. This invention is for the purpose of self-locking the doors in open and close condition.
self-lubricating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈluːbrᵻkeɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈlubrəˌkeɪdɪŋ/
(of a machine, component, substance, etc.) that lubricates itself automatically.Earliest in figurative context.
ΚΠ
1842 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 1 Apr. The Rev. Mr. Mathew might be considered as the inventor of a great self-lubricating machine, which oils itself with its own joy.
1857 Morning Chron. 11 Sept. 2/5 The advantages he claims for this principle of submersion are..2d. A self-lubricating machine.
1927 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 8 Oct. 643/1 The new type generator to be used on all Fords is equipped with oilless self-lubricating bearings.
2007 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 15 Feb. 35/2 The lignum vitae of Central America makes splendid rollers and wheels in pulleys that are hard to get at, because the wood is self-lubricating.
self-manipulation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfmənɪpjᵿˈleɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfməˌnɪpjəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
the action or an act of manipulating oneself or a part of one's body (in various senses of manipulate v.); spec. masturbation.
ΚΠ
1861 Monthly Relig. Mag. Jan. 59 Far less do we need an ‘example’, as a pattern of perfection which we might strive after with vain self-manipulations.
1863 S. B. Birch Constipated Bowels (ed. 2) ii. 99 Several of the most tedious cases of constipation..solely depended upon cerebro-spinal irritability with debility thus generated [sc. by the abuse of the sexual passion], the worst of all being instances, not of natural excess, but of self-manipulation.
1908 Filipina Esperantisto Sept. 54 (advt.) The Sanitas massage rollers,..the best thing for self-manipulations.
1949 M. Mead Male & Female x. 216 The female child's genitals are less exposed..to self-manipulation.
1995 Daily Mail (Nexis) 2 Nov. 51 By very skilful hype and self-manipulation they have actually managed to become bigger than the products they were hired to promote.
self-mastery n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmɑːst(ə)ri/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈmast(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈmæst(ə)ri/
control of one's actions or feelings; self-command.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > [noun]
repressiona1413
governailc1425
willc1480
self-rule1532
coldness1548
stay1556
presentness of mind1598
coolness1607
cold blooda1609
temper1611
self-discipline1612
retention?1615
presence of mind?1624
self-governance1630
retentiveness1641
self-command1651
self-mastery1652
self-control1653
self-direction1653
self-restraint1656
self-possession1665
possessednessa1698
self-regulation1698
possession1703
retenue1747
sang-froid1750
self-collection1761
render1768
self-collectedness1805
self-repression1821
self-containedness1835
unimpulsiveness1860
cool-headedness1881
sophrosyne1889
cool1964
1652 T. Vincent tr. L. Scupoli Spiritval Conflict sig. b10, in Christian Pilgrime in his Spirituall Conflict His daily practice is self-mastery and Mortification.
a1812 J. S. Buckminster Sermons (1821) xvi. 213 To compliment such men with the praise of self-mastery would be absurd; yet this virtue is..supposed to consist in the mere suppression of anger.
1919 Times 21 July 19/5 There was no mistaking..the effort of self-mastery by which she kept back the tears.
2007 Brit. Jrnl. Hist. Sci. 40 520 Through such exercises individuals could learn how to control breathing and thus develop powerful forms of self-mastery.
self-mocking adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈmɒkɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈmɑkɪŋ/
expressing or characterized by ridicule or derision of oneself; that engages in self-mockery.
ΚΠ
1822 Ladies' Monthly Museum Nov. 293 Did ye not observe..the bitter and self-mocking laugh that passed O'er his pale cheek?
1966 Eng. Stud. 47 204 The self-mocking,..witty, ironical, comic Whitman.
2008 Palm Beach Life Dec. 34/2 He also made many self-mocking commercials..in which he laughed at his own obsession with the sun.
self-mortification n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfmɔːtᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌmɔrdəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
the subjugation of one's appetites or desires by self-denial or self-discipline, or by the infliction of physical pain on oneself, esp. as an aspect of religious devotion; = mortification n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > asceticism or mortification > [noun]
afflictionc1330
mortifyingc1384
mortification of (the) body (also flesh, senses, sin, etc.)c1390
mortificationa1500
self-mortification1586
necrosis1706
crucifixiona1711
asceticism1845
1586 J. Norden Mirror for Multitude To Rdr. sig. *7v A good remedy for the clensing of a man from self mortification.
?1695 T. Worden Leper, & Leper's House, Cleansed v. 30 Let it be the greatest of Self-denial, Patience, Temperance, Self-mortification,..if it flows not from the Root of true Grace and Sanctification in the Heart, all is abominable in the Sight of God.
1782 J. Douglas Travelling Anecd. I. 257 The self mortification they subject themselves to, is probably in their minds greatly overbalanced, by their dear gratification of glory.
1833 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 20 Aug. 171 A standing-dish which..though of a most savory composition, such is the abstemiousness and self-mortification of the guests, that it is never cut into!
1931 J. S. Huxley What dare I Think? v. 169 He [sc. the humanist] finds the desire for a sacrifice and self-mortification just as natural..as the desire for achievement and self-assertion.
2003 R. Taylor How to read Church 55 As a child her self-mortification was so severe that she was paralysed for four years.
self-mutilation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfmjuːtᵻˈleɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfmjuːtlˈeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌmjudlˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
the action of mutilating oneself; deliberate maiming or severing of part of the body; also in extended use.
ΚΠ
1637 J. Sym Lifes Preservative against Self-killing xi. 110 Self-mutilation.
1812 Lit. Panorama Mar. 536 (heading) Horrors of the conscription: self-mutilation to avoid serving.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. x. 177 It is possible for the starfish to separate off the damaged or threatened arm and escape with the rest of its body... The surrender is called self-mutilation or autotomy.
1998 Dancing Times 88 413/2 The Arts Council of England is busy going about an act of cultural vandalism and self-mutilation because it has decided to close the department down.
2008 T: N.Y. Times Style Mag. 17 Aug. 216/2 The sadomasochistic cutting and piercing that others might characterize as self-mutilation she refers to as ‘body modification’.
self-named adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈneɪmd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈneɪmd/
that is named after the person or thing in question; (also) so named by oneself or itself, typically without authorization or endorsement.
ΚΠ
1625 W. Crosse Belgiaes Troubles & Triumphs i. 30 When May first opens those selfe-named Flowers, Which Aprill blossomes with his pearled showers.
a1704 T. Brown London & Lacedemonian Oracles in 3rd Vol. Wks. (1708) iii. 135 Self-nam'd Athenians.
1838 N. Amer. Rev. Jan. 36 The blundering self-named patriots of the present day.
1918 Official Rep. 5th National Foreign Trade Convent. 33 The world is at the moment money-mad, not alone the so-called classes, but more particularly the self-named masses.
1973 Gramophone Jan. 1383/3 His self-named album..contains his first big single-play success.
2017 Independent (Nexis) 16 Feb. 27 ‘Islamberg’, a self-named, predominantly Muslim community.
self-nescience n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈnɛsɪəns/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈnɛʃ(i)əns/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈnɛsiəns/
the fact or condition of being ignorant of oneself or one's circumstances; a state of ignorance about oneself; lack of self-knowledge.
ΚΠ
1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing A 6 We came into the world, and we know not how; we live in't in a self-nescience.
1853 Charleston Med. Jrnl. & Rev. 8 646 The chief cause..was the disposition to regard the evils which the Convention had met to reform as of a technical character. Self-nescience showed itself mainly in this.
1915 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 26 605 Without his self nescience he would be pessimistic.
2012 S. Broadie Nature & Divinity in Plato's Timaeus 155 Let us note the motif of self-nescience present in the story itself.
self-objectification n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfəbdʒɛktᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfəbˌdʒɛktəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfɑbˌdʒɛktəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
the action or an act of objectifying oneself (in either sense of objectify v.); (now chiefly) the action or an act of reducing oneself to the status of object.
ΚΠ
1862 D. W. Simon tr. I. A. Dorner Hist. Devel. Doctr. Person Christ 1st Division II. 65 God, objectively realized amongst men in Christ, is..that final aim which gives unity to the world, and completion to the Word, that is, to the self-objectification of God.
1933 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 Mar. 174/1 His book is one long and infinitely various act of self-discovery, self-objectification, made possible only by self-forgetfulness.
1969 T. F. Torrance Theol. Sci. i. 42 We are frequently engaged in mythological self-objectifications of this sort.
2016 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 27 Mar. Self-objectification has been linked with everything from depression to risky sexual behavior.
self-optimizing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɒptᵻmʌɪzɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɑptəˌmaɪzɪŋ/
capable of adapting itself or its mode of operation to a particular task or set of circumstances in order to operate with the greatest efficiency possible.
ΚΠ
1955 Rep. Seminar on Non-linear Control Problems 1954 85 (title) Discussion on the possibilities of self-optimizing systems.
1982 Electronic Syst. News Sept. 13/1 A self-optimizing or goal-seeking program will experiment with possibilities which have been indicated only in broad outline by the programmer.
2010 Irish Times (Nexis) 5 Feb. 52 If the next generation of networks is to work, it will have to be self-governing, self-healing, self-optimising and self-protecting.
self-organize v.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈɔːɡənʌɪz/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈɔːɡn̩ʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈɔrɡəˌnaɪz/
intransitive (a) (of a substance or system of things) to form a structured whole without being subject to the action of an external force or factor; (b) (of people) to form an organized group without external guidance or direction.
ΚΠ
1895 Reformed Q. Rev. Oct. 446 It includes a power to self-organize, grow and become intelligent.
1937 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 37 626 Professions..tend to self-organize; they are becoming increasingly altruistic in motivation.
2012 G. Morçöl Complexity Theory Public Policy iv. 119 Other conditions that increase the likelihood that they will self-organize are that..there should be prior experience and local leadership.
2013 A. Rutherford Creation: Origin of Life vi. 106 When Szostak mixes together a delicate blend of these fatty molecules they..self-organize into a tiny bubble.
self-paced adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpeɪst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpeɪst/
(of an action, task, etc.) having a rate of progress determined by the person doing or undertaking it; esp. (of learning) acquired at one's own pace, typically without an instructor.
ΚΠ
1947 A. W. Melton in Army Air Forces Aviation Psychol. Program Res. Rep. No. 4. xiv. 661 Path-tracing tests are ‘candidate-paced’ (‘self-paced’). A prime example of a self-paced path-tracing test is the mirror tracing of a star pattern.
1962 H. C. Weston Sight, Light & Work (ed. 2) iii. 76 Persons of average vision are able to perform self-paced tasks requiring the perception of detail.
2016 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 22 Oct. These sites offer many free, self-paced online courses from major universities around the world.
self-parasitism n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈparəsᵻtɪz(ə)m/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpɛrəsəˌtɪzəm/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈpɛrəˌsaɪˌtɪzəm/
parasitism in which a haustorium of a parasitic plant attaches to a root of the same individual; (also) parasitism of an organism belonging to the same species.
ΚΠ
1877 F. W. Burbidge Cultivated Plants 384 The Misseltoe furnishes us with one of the few known instances of duplicate or self-parasitism.
1962 Rhodora 64 20 Self-parasitism, involving other roots of a single individual, has been observed.
2009 Adv. in Bot. Res. 50 114 This lack of self-parasitism may suggest that..parasites excrete some sort of inhibitory substance.
self-perception n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpəˈsɛpʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfpərˈsɛpʃn/
originally Philosophy consciousness or awareness of oneself or one's existence; (now) spec. insight into one's nature or character; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > [noun] > state of awareness > of particular things
consciencec1384
sense1555
self-perception1666
sense of direction1836
aliveness1870
self-awareness1876
autoscopy1903
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > familiarity > self-knowledge > [noun]
innerwit1495
self-knowledge1537
self-feeling1590
self-knowing1628
autology1633
self-perception1666
self-recognition1777
self-awareness1876
autognosis1888
self-orientation1895
1666 Duchess of Newcastle Observ. Exper. Philos. 198 Neither do I mean an interior self-perception, which can neither be in Nature, because perception presupposes ignorance; and if there cannot be a self-ignorance, there can neither be a self-perception, although there may be an interior self-knowledg.
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. iii. 160 If the Souls of Men and Animals be at any time without Consciousness and Self-perception, then..Clear and Express Consciousness is not Essential to Life.
1757 J. Taylor Covenant of Grace 69 That we are endowed with a rational Nature, is known by Self-Perception.
1972 J. M. Argyle Social Psychol. of Work iv. 60 The self-image also includes self-perceptions such as being ‘intelligent’ or ‘lively’.
2004 M. Beckerman Generation S.L.U.T. 81 Borderline personality disorder means an individual is unstable in his or her self-perception, often leading to difficulty maintaining stable, long-term relationships.
self-perceptive adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpəˈsɛptɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfpərˈsɛptɪv/
originally Philosophy displaying or characterized by a consciousness or awareness of oneself (or itself) or one's existence; (now) spec. having or demonstrating insight into one's nature or character.
ΚΠ
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe iii. 137 Nevertheless, this not to be any Animal, Conscious and Self-perceptive Life, but a Plastick Life of Nature only.
1728 Z. Mayne Two Diss. conc. Sense & Imagination 179 No Knowledge, which is an Act of Judgment, or is acquired by Reflection, admits of that Degree of Self-evidence, as a Knowledge which is merely perceptive, and derives its Evidence from the Perception of itself, or is Self-evident, because Self-perceptive.
1853 S. Neil Art Reasoning ii. vi. 63 Intuition is that power which the mind possesses of looking at itself... When the intellect is excited to any course of action, this self-perceptive power enables it to discern its own state or condition.
1962 Times Lit. Suppl. 7 Sept. 669/2 (advt.) A father's acutely self-perceptive and compassionate account of his relations with his young son whom he rightly suspects is not his own.
2007 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 25 June Brown is self-perceptive enough to know that he has to try to change this image of him as a secretive, difficult, cabalistic control-freak.
self-perpetuating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpəˈpɛtʃʊeɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfpəˈpɛtjʊeɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfpərˈpɛtʃuˌeɪdɪŋ/
that perpetuates itself without external agency or intervention; (also) of or characterized by self-perpetuation.
ΚΠ
1659 C. Fleetwood Answer to Collonel Morley 20 A self-perpetuating, bare nominal Parliament.
1725 R. Nasmith Treat. upon Entail Covenant of Grace 51 What became of Believers during the time of the Dispensation of that Covenant, which might be broken, and granted this self perpetuating tenor?
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 119 All the bad passions of our nature have a..self-perpetuating power.
1938 J. S. Huxley & A. C. Haddon We Europeans iii. 8 The gene is then as self-perpetuating in its new type as it was in its old.
2001 S. Fatsis Word Freak xviii. 278 It's just a self-perpetuating cycle that makes him not get better at what he wants to be good at.
self-perpetuation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpəpɛtʃʊˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌsɛlfpəpɛtjʊˈeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfpərˌpɛtʃuˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
perpetuation of oneself or itself; (chiefly) indefinite continuation or preservation of something brought about without external agency or intervention; (also) an instance of this.
ΚΠ
1659 W. Montagu Shepheard's Paradise 108 Wonder of women on whose chastity Heaven hath bestow'd such a posterity. As is a self perpetuation Without the help of propagation.
1813 G. J. M. de Lys tr. A. Richerand Elem. Physiol. (Philadelphia ed.) xi. 593 This power of self-perpetuation, by a constant succession of similar beings, is found in all the races composing the human species.
1906 W. G. Sumner Folkways 473 They show how deep is the interest of human beings in the sex taboo, and in the self-perpetuation of society.
2002 R. Hausmann To grasp Essence of Life xvii. 203 In order to have at their disposal increasingly efficient strategies of self-perpetuation or ‘autocatalysis’, the replicators elaborated, during their evolutionary history, the most refined tricks for garnering the essential building blocks and energy.
self-planted adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈplɑːntᵻd/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈplantᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈplæn(t)əd/
(of a plant, garden, etc.) that has grown from seeds dispersed without human involvement.
ΚΠ
1653 J. Gauden Hieraspistes 120 So much more sweet, and fruitful, do these self-planted Country Crabs, and Wildings, now seem to many, than those Trees of Paradise.
1792 Lett. & Papers Agric. (Bath & West of Eng. Soc.) VI. 272 The same person marks for reserves any self-planted trees he can find in the coppices and hedgerows.
1874 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 3 215 Elms, sycamores, beeches, and limes..are not to be found in the few shreds of the old self-planted woods that remain.
1962 Jrnl. Ecol. 50 25 Amongst these old trees many recently self-planted seedlings are growing but there are no plants of a few years old.
2015 T. Rainer & C. West Planting in Post-wild World 43 A wild plant is self-planted. It was grown either by seed dispersed from a nearby plant or vegetatively through an adjacent plant.
self-policing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpᵿˈliːsɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈpliːsɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfpəˈlisɪŋ/
that controls or regulates itself, without external intervention.
ΚΠ
1901 Independent (N.Y.) 17 Jan. 160/2 The author tends very distinctly to the self government or self policing view of college administration.
1955 G. Gorer Exploring Eng. Char. xv. 296 The English character became, to a very marked degree, ‘self-policing’.
2006 Dazed & Confused Dec. 162 There's also a strong self-policing element where users join together to ensure that everyone is working for the common good.
self-policing n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfpᵿˈliːsɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈpliːsɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfpəˈlisɪŋ/
control or regulation of itself or oneself, without external intervention.
ΚΠ
1933 Times 7 June 11/1 They hope that the provision for the ‘self-policing’ of industries will obviate the necessity for the exercise of his extraordinary powers by the President.
1977 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts 125 450/1 Self-policing by the data storage industry is simply not an adequate safeguard.
2011 N.Y. Times Mag. 13 Nov. 31/2 A man so egotistical that careful self-policing would never really enter into the realm of consideration.
self-powered adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpaʊəd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpaʊ(ə)rd/
†(a) having power oneself (obsolete rare); (b) powered by itself; requiring no external source of power, esp. for propulsion.
ΚΠ
1694 W. Cross Expos. 2nd Verse 4th Chapter Epist. Romans 55 He [sc. Man] Excells other Earthly Creatures,..Lord of his own Actions, a Self-powered Creature, or as Cicero says, a Power of Living as he will.
1836 J. H. Ingraham Lafitte I. ii. 74 The penetrating, self-powered gaze of the pirate rested..full upon his features.
1906 Dubuque (Iowa) Daily Times 22 Apr. 10/4 The self-powered [railway] cars enjoy two advantages... (a) Absence of external power transmission circuits.
1961 Sci. Newslet. 11 Mar. 160/1 Self-powered radio..needs no batteries or electricity.
2013 A. Rutherford Creation: Origin of Life i. 12 What we now loosely call ‘protists’: single-celled creatures that include self-powered swimmers, and algae.
self-primer n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈprʌɪmə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpraɪmər/
a device (esp. a firearm or pump) designed to prime itself automatically.
ΚΠ
1819 Times 3 Sept. 1/3 John Manton's much-esteemed self-primers.
1917 Sprague's Jrnl. Marine Hist. Jan. 273 As Chamberlain had what was called a ‘self primer’ he gained just enough time to be able to shoot first.
2007 Power Engin. (Nexis) Apr. 62 With the self-primer, only the above-grade liquid end of the pump must be made of the special alloy needed for the material beng pumped.
self-priming adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈprʌɪmɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpraɪmɪŋ/
(a) (of a device, esp. a pump) that primes itself; (b) (of paint) that does not require a surface to be primed before application.
ΚΠ
1809 Morning Post 21 Oct. To Gun-makers, &c.—A Patent for self-priming Gun-locks.
1927 U.S. Patent 1,635,110 1/1 It has superior covering characteristics, it is self priming, and it has the power of adhesion to metal, glass, stone, and any other material to which paint ordinarily is applied.
2013 L. Godsey Interior Design Materials & Specif. (ed. 2) ii. 29/2 Test the surface by spritzing a little water on it; if the water soaks in you should specify that the walls be primed or specify a self-priming paint.
2014 T. Denton Automotive Technician Training vi. 168/1 Many modern injector pumps are self-priming.
self-programming adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈprəʊɡramɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈproʊˌɡræmɪŋ/
designating a computer, machine, etc., capable of writing or modifying its own programming in response to events and circumstances encountered during operation.
ΚΠ
1952 J. Diebold Automation i. 2 Developments of the last decade in the field of electronics, communications, and electric-network analysis have made possible a wide variety of self-correcting and self-programming machines.
1984 New Scientist 2 Feb. 13/1 Think of the brain as a self-programming computer.
2012 J. Randers 2052 xi. 317 The second and final perspective on the longer-term future..launches another provoking idea, namely, the rise of the self-programming robot.
self-pronouncing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfprəˈnaʊnsɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfprəˈnaʊnsɪŋ/
designating a dictionary or other text which employs any of various means for representing pronunciations using the letters of the usual spelling of a word or name (usually with the addition of diacritic marks); (of a word or word form) represented in this way.
ΚΠ
1846 London Jrnl. 5 Dec. 208/2 There is no French self-pronouncing dictionary corresponding to ‘Reynolds's French Self-Instructor’.
1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. III. 542/1 Complete phonological English alphabet constructing self-pronouncing words with the proper orthography.
1927 Daily Independent (Murphysboro, Ill.) 13 June 1/6 He was presented with a beautiful self-pronouncing Bible.
1931 (title) The Royal Webster dictionary for home and school, self-pronouncing.
2010 S. Moore Novel iv. 399 I've eliminated diacritical marks..except in quoted matter, and favor self-pronouncing forms where they exist.
self-proving adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈpruːvɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈpruvɪŋ/
Law (originally and chiefly U.S.) (of a legal document) presumed valid or authentic without additional proof; spec. (of a will) needing no oral testimony to be admitted to probate; (of an affidavit accompanying a will) allowing for a will to be admitted to probate without oral testimony.
ΚΠ
1879 Rep. Supreme Court Alabama 57 520 This is strictly in accordance with our statutes, and authorized the registration of the deed, and made it self-proving.
1901 J. J. Mayfield Digest Decisions Supreme Court Alabama IV. 323/2 When the notary's certificate is attested by his own official seal, it is intended to be self-proving, for the law has made no provision for authenticating them.
1992 Pract. Lawyer 38 71/1 A clear demarcation between the actual will ceremony and the completion of the self-proving affidavit is important.
2007 Trusts & Estates Mar. 14/1 His will..was not signed as a self-proving will.
self-questioning n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈkwɛstʃənɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈkwɛstʃn̩ɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈkwɛstʃənɪŋ/
critical examination or evaluation of one's thoughts, conduct, motives, etc.; an act or instance of this.
ΚΠ
1621 T. Proctor Righteous Mans Way sig. A2 Joyning private meditation, or selfe-questioning and selfe examining with the same [sc. Gods Commandements].
1802 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) II. 832 Mrs Coleridge's mind..in all disputes uniformly projects itself forth to recriminate, instead of turning itself inward with a silent Self-questioning.
1949 Life 21 Feb. 64/2 We have seen how our many anxieties and self-questionings led to a steady increase in the confidence with which from the beginning we had viewed the invasion project.
2005 Yoga Jrnl. Jan. 76/2 I'd say it marked the beginning of my inner journey, starting a process of self-questioning that led me, two years later, into meditation.
self-reactive adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrɪˈaktɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfriˈæktɪv/
Immunology reacting against an individual's own tissues, cells, etc.; = autoreactive adj. at auto- comb. form1 1a.
ΚΠ
1961 Science 3 Feb. 308/2 The elimination of self-reactive patterns would, by hypothesis, result when prenatal contact with self-components occurred.
1996 N.Y. Times 31 Dec. c7/4 Other immune factors suppress these self-reactive T cells,..holding them under tight control.
2009 B. M. Conti-Fine et al. in H. J. Kaminski Myasthenia Gravis & Related Disorders (ed. 2) iii. 60 A viral infection may activate self-reactive immune cells and trigger a tissue-specific autoimmune response.
self-recognition n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrɛkəɡˈnɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌrɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/
knowledge and understanding of one's nature or character; insight into one's personality.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > familiarity > self-knowledge > [noun]
innerwit1495
self-knowledge1537
self-feeling1590
self-knowing1628
autology1633
self-perception1666
self-recognition1777
self-awareness1876
autognosis1888
self-orientation1895
1777 E. Hopson Rational Conduct of Human Mind (new ed.) Introd. Pref. p. xxii Thus far have we traced the use and benefits arising from Self-Recognition, know thyself.
1840 Times 2 Sept. 6/4 In this self-recognition he is overwhelmed with self-debasement.
1955 Ess. & Stud. 8 75 Emma is shown as incapable of self-recognition.
2016 Observer (Nexis) 2 Oct. Both elements of the film unite to portray a mixed-race woman growing in self-recognition and self-possession.
self-reconstruction n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfriːkənˈstrʌkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌrikənˈstrəkʃ(ə)n/
restoration of a person or thing by himself, herself, or itself to a former state or condition, esp. after damage or destruction; spec. rebuilding of one's personality, relationships, etc., after trauma or analysis.
ΚΠ
1861 Sat. Rev. 6 Apr. 340/1 Italy being in the agonies of self-reconstruction, Austria in those of a life-and-death struggle for existence.
1939 Jrnl. Higher Educ. 10 363/1 The value of self-examination and self-reconstruction is undisputed by all who have had any experience with the processes.
2007 Australian (Nexis) 21 June 11 Giving the parents jobs means giving whole families the tools for self-reconstruction and self-esteem.
self-reformation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrɛfəˈmeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌrɛfərˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/
the action or process of voluntarily changing one's conduct or way of life for the better.
ΚΠ
1613 Golden Meane 49 A remedy against self-unworthinesse; must be found out in a selfe-reformation; which being sincerely performed, the follyes of the past times belong not to the reformed.
1783 Whitehall Evening-post 14–16 Oct. Self-Reformation is as odious a task to corrupt assemblies of men, as it is to profligate individuals.
1892 J. Tait Mind in Matter 271 In self-reformation the vicious become wretched by their abstentions.
1940 Crisis June 173/2 Such self-reformation has been done by the French colonial administration better than any other colonizing power.
2016 Post (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 13 Jan. (E1 ed.) 2 Self-reformation and morality are vital components for a healthy society.
self-register n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛdʒᵻstə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛdʒəstər/
now rare a measuring instrument designed to automatically produce a record of the measurements it takes.
ΚΠ
1799 W. Jones Adams's Lect. Nat. & Exper. Philos. (ed. 2) IV. lii. App. 573 The late ingenious Mr. Six constructed a thermometer that was a self-register of the extreme degrees of heat and cold during the observer's absence.
1885 Arch. Ophthalmol. 14 54 The advantages offered by a perimeter with self-register are too evident to be overlooked.
2004 Water Res. 38 4066/2 The amount of rainfall was also recorded with a self-register at point A1.
self-registering adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛdʒᵻst(ə)rɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛdʒəst(ə)rɪŋ/
now rare designating a measuring instrument designed to automatically make a record of the measurements it takes.
ΚΠ
?1793 Trans. Royal Irish Acad. 4 141 (heading) Description of a self-registering barometer.
1902 Pall Mall Mag. July 395/2 On April 19th a disastrous earthquake occurred in Guatemala, the concussion of which was recorded by self-registering seismometers.
2006 Brit. Jrnl. Hist. Sci. 39 425 Other schemes were planned although they were not realized—a system of tide registrations at Falmouth using self-registering tide gauges, and a climatological station at Flushing.
self-registration n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrɛdʒᵻˈstreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌrɛdʒəˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/
now rare (in a measuring instrument) the automatic recording of measurements as they are taken.
ΚΠ
1846 Lit. Gaz. 10 Oct. 874/2 Mr. F. Ronalds..described his experiments on the photographic self-registration of the electrometer, the barometer, the thermometer, and the declination magnetometer.
1871 Naut. Mag. July 467 Although much is done by means of self registration, still much remains to be done by the eye and hand.
2012 I. M. Peres et al. in Proc. 4th Internat. Conf. European Soc. Hist. Sci. 465 A purchase order for a set of meteorological and magnetic instruments to be used for the self-registration of atmospheric data was granted to the meteorologist Francis Ronalds.
self-related adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈleɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈleɪdᵻd/
,
/ˌsɛlfriˈleɪdᵻd/
(in Hegelian philosophy) defined by its relation to itself, rather than by external relations; self-determining; (now usually more generally) related to, connected with, or dependent upon, oneself or itself. [In use in Hegelian philosophy after German sich auf sich beziehend, lit. ‘relating itself to itself’ (1807 or earlier in Hegel).]
ΚΠ
1867 Jrnl. Speculative Philos. 1 4/1 Relation of all kinds is negation, and hence whatever has the form of being and is a positive somewhat, is a self-related negative.
1898 W. T. Harris Psychol. Found. Educ. 27 The self-activity of the plant is manifested in action upon its environment, which results in building up its own individuality. It not only acts, but acts for itself; it is self-related.
1936 Isis 26 236 Every social group is a law unto itself, and in order to be properly understood must be studied as a self-related and integrated whole.
1970 A. V. Miller tr. G. W. F. Hegel Philos. Nature iii. 354 The animal, as self-related singularity, does not occupy this particular place as the result of an external determination, because, as a singularity which is turned back into self, it is indifferent to non-organic Nature.
2013 New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Nexis) 16 June 23 Inward-looking adult children tend to interpret situations and incidents around them as self-related.
self-relation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈleɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
,
/ˌsɛlfriˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
relation to, connection with, or dependence upon, oneself or itself; (in Hegelian philosophy) the state of being or process of becoming self-related. [In use in Hegelian philosophy after German Beziehung auf sich lit. ‘relation to itself (or oneself)’ (1812 or earlier in Hegel as a fixed expression).]
ΚΠ
1652 J. Gage Christian Sodality i. Ep. Ded. sig. A6 Abstracting therefore from all self-relation, and looking onely on the nature of this booke, [etc.].
1797 Monthly Mirror Oct. 215 In the same proportion does public credit demonstrate the principle of its unity and self-relation.
1838 H. B. Wallace Stanley I. vi. 60 Man..in regard to his inward nature and self-relation, never varies.
1854 A. Tulk tr. H. M. Chalybäus Hist. Surv. Speculative Philos. from Kant to Hegel xv. 342 The universal process of self-relation to self, or self-contraction, which in every point is related to itself, posites relative centra, subjects, in itself, and even in these never ceases to hold relation to itself.
1906 D. H. MacGregor in Hibbert Jrnl. July 800 The fact of self-distinction from the world is as ultimate as that of self-relation to it.
2005 S. Houlgate Introd. Hegel 106 It [sc. the Idea] has nothing outside itself but is pure and simple ‘self-relation’ (einfache Beziehung auf sich). In so far as it is purely self-relating, it is always and only itself, always and only what it is.
2015 Jrnl. Speculative Philos. 29 241 The way in which an agent's self-relation—that is, her take on what she is doing and why—is mediated by her relation to others.
self-replicate v.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛplᵻkeɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛpləˌkeɪt/
intransitive to replicate itself; to carry out self-replication.
ΚΠ
1960 New Biol. 31 19 If a molecule self-replicates without intermediates, then that molecule must be handed on.
1998 L. Simon Psychol., Educ., Gods, & Humanity iv. 58 Biologists believe that all life began as organic matter that had a capacity to self-replicate.
2004 Financial Times 5 Feb. 14/6 On the downside it is suggested that these organic machines, which would be programmed to self-replicate, could turn on their makers and wipe out all life on the planet.
self-replication n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrɛplᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌrɛpləˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
the process by which something, esp. genetic material, produces a copy of itself; (also more generally) the process of reproduction; the action of this.
ΚΠ
1945 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 32 160 In order for the self-replication capacity of enzymes to express itself, the precursors would have to be initially present in sufficient quantities.
1990 Orange County (Calif.) Reg. 23 Dec. a11/3 Earlier this year..MIT researchers created the first synthetic molecule capable of lifelike self-replication.
2012 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 370 3273 The key features of viruses are self-replication and mutation.
self-reproducing adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfriːprəˈdjuːsɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfriːprəˈdʒuːsɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌriprəˈd(j)usɪŋ/
that engages in self-reproduction.
ΚΠ
1833 Age 21 July 229/3 This precious squad [sc. the New Police] wish, we presume, to be called ‘self-reproducing’—to use the expressive phrase of Powlett Thomson.
1926 J. S. Huxley Ess. Pop. Sci. 230 The chromosomes are self-reproducing.
1964 Sci. Amer. Sept. 149 (caption) The little red and blue ‘creatures’ in the photograph..are the two kinds of part of an elementary self-reproducing machine designed by..L. S. Penrose.
1990 G. Arrighi in W. G. Martin Semiperipheral States in World-economy ii. 14 Some fundamental and self-reproducing inequality in the distribution of wealth among the states and peoples of the capitalist world-economy.
2016 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 3 Apr. There's just females. There's no such thing as a male [mourning gecko]. They are self-reproducing and self-cloning.
self-reproduction n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfriːprəˈdʌkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌriprəˈdəkʃ(ə)n/
(originally) the generation of new living individuals by a sexual or asexual process; (later also in extended use) the reproduction or replication of something by itself.
ΚΠ
1810 Something (Boston) 13 Jan. 132 Salt, from the infertility of land adjacent to the sea, from its incapability of self-reproduction..was considered as the promoter and symbol of sterility.
1923 J. S. Huxley Ess. Biologist vii. 256 The attributes of living matter which mark it off from inorganic matter become dominant—its capacity for self-reproduction, [etc.].
1964 Sci. Amer. Sept. 154/2 Seen in this light, crystal growth is self-reproduction.
1991 I. S. R. Msabaha in F. M. Deng & I. W. Zartman Confl. Resol. Afr. iii. 68 In Africa, virtually all governments that took power at independence equipped themselves with mechanisms of perpetual self-reproduction.
2005 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 18 May 16 Although the machines we have created are still simple compared with biological self-reproduction, they demonstrate that mechanical self-reproduction is possible and not unique to biology.
self-reproductive adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfriːprəˈdʌktɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌriprəˈdəktɪv/
of or relating to self-reproduction.
ΚΠ
1814 Farmer's Mag. May 197 The self-reproductive power of his favourite herbage.
1875 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 Feb. 172/1 There are disease ferments with organic germs reproducing themselves, and others which have no definite term of life, and which are not self-reproductive.
1943 J. S. Huxley Evol. Ethics v. 34 The capacity for self-reproduction, or better self-reproductive evolution.
2014 R. Münch Acad. Capitalism iii. 67 Self-reproductive status hierarchies.
self-reputation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrɛpjᵿˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌrɛpjəˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
favourable reputation established or proclaimed by oneself; (with prepositional complement) a reputation for being, doing, or possessing the specified thing, established by oneself.
ΚΠ
1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus Praise of Folie sig. Qiv That wheras none so base wil not meanely stande yet in selfe reputacion, his curtesie is suche to dele euery man a fleese of his praise.
a1683 J. Owen Compl. Coll. Serm. (1721) 553 Self-reputation in the exercise of gifts..weakens our faith as to the expectation of God's hearing our prayers.
1728 tr. C. I. Castel de Saint-Pierre Disc. Danger governing by One Minister 135 Ministers by being oblig'd to give their Opinions in Publick, will be by the private Motives of Self-Reputation, influenc'd to give them a great deal more constantly.
1846 Christian Remembrancer June 496 He..enjoyed the self-reputation of a Confessor.
1907 H. Jackson B. Shaw iv. 224 Civilisation..has simply been an expedient for allowing humanity to live upon its self-reputation.
2011 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 17 Nov. 2 How could someone with a self-reputation for brilliance, detail and instant analysis..be behind all this bovine scatology?
self-retaining adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈteɪnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈteɪnɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfriˈteɪnɪŋ/
Medicine designating a medical instrument which remains in position within an organ or cavity of the body without further support.
ΚΠ
1852 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 23 63 A self-retaining catheter, which can be worn with the greatest comfort by the patient during the whole process of treatment.
1963 Science 25 Jan. 332/1 The chest is quickly opened by splitting the sternum and spreading the opening with a self-retaining retractor.
2015 J. Leung in P. B. Cotton & J. Leung ERCP (ed. 2) vii. 69 When the patient is adequately sedated, a self-retaining mouth guard is placed.
self-retired adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈtʌɪəd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈtaɪ(ə)rd/
,
/ˌsɛlfriˈtaɪ(ə)rd/
that has chosen to retire (in various senses); (now usually) that has voluntarily retired from employment or service, typically before reaching pensionable age.
ΚΠ
1795 F. A. Winzer tr. C. M. Wieland Sympathy of Souls 44 Within her self-retired soul [Fr. l'Ame recueillie en elle-même, Ger. der in sich selbst gesammelten Seele], a psalm of triumph.
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 57 Self-retired In hungry pride and gainful cowardice.
1903 E. D. Collins Hist. Vermont vii. 122 As the armies of Washington melted away by desertion, not a few of the self-retired veterans found their search for quiet homes leading them into the woods of Vermont.
2004 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 2 Oct. 2 The pensioners payment will cost almost $595 million over four years and the self-retired retirees supplement $282 million.
self-retrieving adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfrᵻˈtriːvɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfrəˈtrivɪŋ/
,
/ˌsɛlfriˈtrivɪŋ/
(of a machine, device, etc.) that returns to where it came from automatically.
ΚΠ
1904 Kynoch Jrnl. Oct. 189 They may be lads at school recently presented..with a brand-new single trigger, treble grip ‘self-retrieving’ 12 or 16 bore ejector.
1959 N.Y. Times 29 Nov. s9/2 (heading) Self-retrieving ball can turn the yard into a fairway.
2013 Hobart (Austral.) Mercury (Nexis) 19 Oct. 15 Self-deploying and self-retrieving, the Bluebottle [sc. an unmanned surface vessel] can roam widely or be kept on station virtually indefinitely.
self-science n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsʌɪəns/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsaɪəns/
knowledge of or insight into one's own nature or character; self-knowledge, esp. considered as something to be learnt or studied.
ΚΠ
1745 J. Mason Treat. Self-knowl. i. 6 It shews us with what Exactness and Care we are to search and try our Spirits,..in order to acquire this important Self-Science.
1852 J. G. Manly Ecclesiogr. on Biblical Church Introd. p. xxi Egoistical philosophy is best corrected by sound and thorough self-science.
1909 Churchman 28 Aug. 310/3 The therapy of the Ministry is in its widest interpretation the therapy of the whole personality and the recovery for spirit of its proper existence and study in self-science.
2012 Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates) (Nexis) 9 Apr. Self-science or getting to know the essence of your soul is something new for people.
self-seed v.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsiːd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsid/
intransitive (of a plant) to reproduce and spread by the dispersal of its own seed, without human involvement.Quot. 1805 shows (apparently isolated) earlier use in the specific context of the biblical account of the Creation.
ΚΠ
1805 in J. M. Good tr. Lucretius Nature of Things II. 332 And God said, Shoot forth, O Earth! the shoots Of the seed-sowing herbage, Of the fruit-bearing tree; According to its kind, self-seeding upon the earth.]
1880 Ann. Rep. Wisconsin State Hort. Soc. 1879–80 10 340 They will usually all self seed, so that the second spring you will have plenty without sowing.
1953 San Antonio (Texas) Light 8 May c16/2 Unless you want them to self-seed, it is best to remove the seed pods before they get ripe.
2001 Harrowsmith Country Life Aug. 60/3 Some plants..self-seed so enthusiastically that the parent plant can be suffocated by its offspring.
self-seeded adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsiːdᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsidᵻd/
(of a plant) that has grown from seed dispersed without human involvement; (of land or an area of land) that is given over to such plants.
ΚΠ
1853 Michigan Farmer Sept. 278/1 Mr. S. showed us a meadow on the river bottom mostly of redtop grass.., the redtop is self-seeded.
1907 T. F. Hunt Forage & Fiber Crops in Amer. ix. 167 Self-seeded fields furnish the bulk of the crop, from which it is cut year after year.
1970 P. Y. Carter Mr. Campion's Falcon ix. 68 A belt of self-seeded larches.
2006 Early Homes Spring 16/1 (caption) Self-seeded foxglove grows tall against the clapboards of one of the salvaged structures on the estate.
self-seeder n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsiːdə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsidər/
a plant that reproduces and spreads by the dispersal of its own seed, without human involvement.
ΚΠ
1880 Vick's Monthly Mag. June 186/2 Here is a piece of what is, through this part of the land, called London Pride, Flower Tree, and English Smart-weed. It is very pretty, grows about four feet high, and is a self-seeder.
1964 Country Life 12 Mar. 603/2 Single snowdrops are great self-seeders, given the chance.
2016 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 4 June It is perennial but also an efficient self-seeder, rapidly invading grassland, woodland and any unattended areas.
self-seeding n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsiːdɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsidɪŋ/
the action of a plant reproducing and spreading by the dispersal of its own seed, without human involvement; an instance of this.
ΚΠ
1846 R. L. Allen Brief Compend Amer. Agric. iii. 66 It has the further advantage of..maintaining itself in the ground thereafter by self seeding when not too closely cropped.
1906 T. Shaw Clovers vii. 256 The grazing must not be so close as to preclude a self-seeding.
1972 Times 16 Sept. 10/3 Nobody can guarantee that any bulb will dig itself in and increase in any given garden, either by division of the underground parts or by self seeding.
2009 S. Van Atta Southern Calif. Native Flower Garden 78 Cut it back after it has finished flowering in summer unless self-seeding is desired.
self-seeding adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsiːdɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsidɪŋ/
that self-seeds.
ΚΠ
1851 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1850: Agric. 13 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (31st Congr., 2nd Sess.: U.S. House of Representatives Executive Doc. 32, Pt. 2) VI. No smut or chess was the result of this self-seeding crop, as we term it; but the ground was found to be more foul with weeds than that which had been cultivated.
1913 Bull. Hawaii Agric. Exper. Station No. 29 19 Flower, 6½ in. wide, pure white... Best white thus far bred. Self seeding.
1991 Marine Ecol. Progress Ser. 74 1 (title) Numerical models show coral reefs can be self-seeding.
2002 Chicago Tribune 13 Jan. xv. 4/2 (caption) Self-seeding annuals..should scatter enough seeds to guarantee blooms next year, even if some seedlings were lost to the treacherous late warm weather in fall.
self-shot adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈʃɒt/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈʃɑt/
(a) killed or wounded by a bullet or arrow fired by oneself; (b) (of a film, photograph, etc.) shot by its subject; (also) shot by an amateur as opposed to a professional.
ΚΠ
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. ii. vii. 147 Guardsman Pâris..will be found some months after, self-shot in a remote inn.
1921 N.Y. Times 4 Feb. 2/5 (headline) Self-shot girl dies; Failed in school.
1980 Millennium Film Jrnl. Nos. 7–9. 101 S.M.: Was Fuses all self-shot? C.S.: We passed the camera back and forth.
2009 Global Broadcast Database: NBC Channel 4 News Today (Nexis) 17 Aug. Police found 26-year-old Roderick Duan self shot in this lawn.
2015 Internat. N.Y. Times (Nexis) 30 Dec. (Leisure section) 10 The critic Jay Weissberg called ‘Behemoth’ an ‘impressively self-shot poetic exercise in controlled righteous outrage’.
† self-snatchation n. Obsolete the action of saving oneself from something dangerous, by prompt and forceful action.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1840 C. Dickens Master Humphrey's Clock I. 47 I..have no power of self snatchation (forgive me if I coin that phrase) from the yawning gulf before me.
† self-society n. Obsolete one's own company; solitude.
ΚΠ
1647 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. 126 He is too much given to his study and self-society.
1711 H. Needler Let. 16 Aug. in Wks. (1724) 200 I have a great Affection for Self-Society..tho' I must acknowledge, that a Mixture of Solitude and Conversation is most agreeable.
self-stimming n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈstɪmɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈstɪmɪŋ/
the repetitive performance of certain physical movements or vocalizations, as a behaviour seen in persons with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism (also as a modifier); cf. self-stimulation n. 3.This behaviour, now also called stimming, is thought to serve a variety of functions, such as calming and expression of feelings. [ < self- prefix + stim- (in stimulation n. or stimulate v.) + -ing suffix1, after self-stimulation n. 3.]
ΚΠ
1972 Today's Health June 63/2 Otherwise, he'll think he can get out of doing anything by having a tantrum or acting sleep or just self-stimming in general.
1997 B. Fouse & M. Wheeler Behavioral Strategies for Individuals with Autism 272 Reinforce task completion with short periods of time for self-stimming behaviors.
2007 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 13 Apr. a3/6 The dogs are specifically trained to interact with the kids and disrupt self-stimming.
self-stripper n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈstrɪpə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈstrɪpər/
now historical and rare a device designed to automatically remove detritus from the cards of a carding machine.
ΚΠ
1844 A. Ure Recent Improvem. Arts, Manuf., & Mines 223 The former [defect]..was only conquered by his invention of the self-strippers for the main cylinders.
1892 Wade's Fibre & Fabric 30 July 267/1 The ‘Wellman’ is a self stripper on the reciprocating principle of operating on the flats and stripping them.
1968 P. F. McGouldrick New Eng. Textiles 19th Cent. 275 The Wellman self-stripper was very inexpensive and saved a considerable amount of labor, per unit of output, in the carding process.
self-styled adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈstʌɪld/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈstaɪld/
so styled or described by oneself or itself, without authorization from or endorsement by another; (usually implying that the speaker disagrees with the appellation) pretended, so-called.
ΚΠ
1640 Englands Complaint to Iesus Christ sig. C We beseech thee to judge of the hypocrisie of this selfe-styled Sacred Synod.
1798 J. Thayer Disc. delivered at Rom. Catholic Church in Boston 14 The self-styled philosophers, a tribe composed of deists, atheists and materialists.
1823 ‘G. Smith’ Not Paul, but Jesus 206 The sort of connection..between the undoubted Apostles, and this self-styled one.
1927 F. M. Thrasher Gang ii. xi. 180 Edmond Werner,..self-styled leader of the roving Northwest Side gang.
2015 Wall St. Jrnl. 14 Feb. d7/5 Despite numerous idiot's guides and self-styled wine experts who claim that wine is simple, learning and knowing about wine is challenging.
† self-subsidation n. Obsolete the formation of a pool of metal during smelting.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1868 F. H. Joynson Metals in Constr. ii. 61 The separation of the metallic matter requires skilled labour..much of this labour in the ordinary process being effected mechanically by the self-subsidation of the iron on the hearth.
self-sway n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈsweɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈsweɪ/
chiefly poetic in earlier use (now rare) influence or authority over oneself or itself; (also) power or authority conferred on oneself.
ΚΠ
1642 H. More Ψυχωδια Platonica sig. F6v When she doth with self-sway Thus change herself.
1824 T. Campbell Theodric (ed. 2) 42 That soul's example could not but dispense A portion of its own bless'd influence; Invoking him to peace, and that self-sway Which Fortune cannot give, nor take away.
1868 C. Lofft Ernest iii. 43 'Tis an easy downward slope From recklessness of rabble rule, to the foul Self-sway of despots.
1910 Sunset Aug. 135/1 Spain..took it for granted that the people whom she had rescued from barbarism..were wholly unprepared for any political responsibility and could not be entrusted with even a fair measure of local self-sway.
1957 tr. Aitareya-brāhmana in Numen 4 33 Having won..the self-sway (svārājyam), the universal sway,..the supreme authority.
self-taxation n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlftakˈseɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˌtækˈseɪʃ(ə)n/
taxation imposed by a colony, community, business, etc., itself, as opposed to by its ruler or government.
ΚΠ
1768 Public Advertiser 16 Nov. Mistaking the Expediency of Self-Taxation for a right to reject a Parliamentary one.
1841 H. Merivale Lect. Colonization & Colonies I. iv. 101 The only ambition of the state was to regulate the trade of its colonies... They had a right to self-government and self-taxation.
1946 Indian Jrnl. Polit. Sci. 7 431 The ‘right of voluntary self-taxation’ was enjoyed by the minority communities in Latvia and Greece before the war.
2014 Toronto Star (Nexis) 30 Nov. a8 Right here in Toronto, we give business improvement area organizations actual powers of self-taxation.
self-teacher n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtiːtʃə/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtitʃər/
(a) a person who teaches himself or herself; (b) a text or other tool for teaching oneself.
ΚΠ
a1665 R. Gell Remaines (1676) ii. 320 How then was Paul..his own self teacher?
1839 Spectator 14 Sept. 884/1 To Tourists. Just Ready in a neat Pocket Volume, The German Self-Teacher.
1904 M. Marks (title) The home arts self-teacher, or, the cyclopaedia of home arts.
2011 Irish Times (Nexis) 5 Jan. 13 You become a perpetual self-teacher, and a much better, more unforgiving editor of your own work.
self-therapy n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈθɛrəpi/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈθɛrəpi/
†(a) a method of homoeopathic treatment in which (supposedly) toxic substances are taken from a patient and then readministered to him or her (obsolete rare); (b) therapy, esp. psychotherapy, applied by a person to himself or herself; cf. autotherapy n. at auto- comb. form1 1a.
ΚΠ
1911 N. Amer. Jrnl. Homœopathy Nov. 764 Auto-therapy is natural therapy, or, as the name implies, self-therapy. Auto-therapy employs nature's weapons in combatting disease.
1924 W. Healy in M. V. O'Shea Child xii. 245 The healing power of nature itself will in some instances lead to self-therapy, as in cases of adolescent mental disturbance which we have witnessed recover without medical assistance.
1948 Syracuse (N.Y.) Post-Standard 4 Jan. 24/1 A man who has long coupled his means of livelihood with self-therapy to regain the use of his hands crippled in an explosion.
2015 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 3 Feb. On every project you find out something different about yourself. It's like self-therapy, in a mad way.
self-thinking adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈθɪŋkɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈθɪŋkɪŋ/
capable of thinking for oneself; having a capacity for independent thought; (of a machine, esp. a computer or robot) capable of exhibiting or simulating independent thought.
ΚΠ
1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T9521) 123 The true inference is, that the self-thinking individual [previous eds. the self, thinking individual], or humane person, is not the real author of those natural motions.
1865 G. Grote Plato I. vii. 293 The creation and furtherance of individual, self-thinking minds, each instigated to form some rational and consistent theory for itself, is a material benefit.
1920 L. C. Andrews Mil. Manpower i. 26 The development of modern man as an individual—a self-respecting, self-thinking, responsible member of the community in which he moves.
1992 Sunday Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 12 Jan. Clarke..maintains a HAL-like, self-thinking computer is inevitable because man is just ‘an intermediate stage in the development of real intelligence’.
2002 Edmonton (Alberta) Sun (Nexis) 14 Jan. a6 We ourselves must be informed, discerning, educated, aware and self thinking.
self-thinning n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈθɪnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈθɪnɪŋ/
(a) the death or spontaneous casting off of branches, fruit, etc., from a plant, ensuring the remaining parts of the plant have adequate room to grow; (b) a natural progressive decline in the density of a population (esp. of plants) that occurs as its members increase in size or as the population increases in number; frequently attributive.
ΚΠ
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 250 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV Good management may postpone the ‘self-thinning’, by the inside, shaded, and weak bottom branches dying out.
1893 J. Nisbet Brit. Forest Trees 280 The self-thinning of the pole-forest.
1926 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 13 417 By the term ‘self-thinning’ reference is made to the ability of the Delicious to drop its blossoms down to a maximum of usually one to the spur.
1986 Oikos 46 122 (title) Is there a self-thinning rule for animal populations?
2004 Times 16 Oct. (Weekend Review section) 31 That extraordinary self-thinning process whereby the tree sheds the excess fruit because it knows how much fruit it can safely bring through to harvest time.
2013 T. Beck Princ. Ecol. Landscape Design ii. 46 Allow self-thinning to maintain the balance between plant density and plant size.
self-tolerance n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtɒl(ə)rəns/
,
/ˌsɛlfˈtɒl(ə)rn̩s/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtɑl(ə)rəns/
(a) acceptance of one's own character, behaviour, or habits; (b) the failure to produce an immunological response to self-antigens.Also attributive. See self-antigen n.
ΚΠ
1849 C. Brontë Shirley I. xiii. 263 Self-respect, self-tolerance, even, what are they.
1883 Spectator 6 Jan. 11/1 In England..there is amongst educated men hardly that easy self-tolerance which is the first condition of an amused life.
1902 W. D. Howells Kentons xvi. 185 She..would sit cold and blank to his civilities, and have to be skilfully and gradually talked back to self-respect and self-tolerance.
1962 F. Karush in A. A. Gellhorn & E. Hirschberg Basic Probl. in Neoplastic Dis. iv. 208 A reasonable extracellular interpretation of this important phenomenon, i.e., self-tolerance, can be suggested consistent with these theories.
1972 Jrnl. Relig. & Health 11 164 Luther himself probably provides the supreme example of recovery from depression correlated with a modification of religious attitudes toward greater self-tolerance and less emphasis on sinfulness.
1996 Toronto Star (Nexis) 10 Nov. e7 When self-tolerance fails, the immune system mounts an attack on its own healthy cells.
2014 Daily Mail (Nexis) 28 July This love/hate relationship recently developed from one of indulgent self-tolerance to deep annoyance.
self-toning adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtəʊnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtoʊnɪŋ/
Photography (now historical) designating photographic paper in which the emulsion contains a chemical substance that allows the image to be toned during fixing, rather than in a separate process.
ΚΠ
1886 Photographer's World 15 Oct. 14/2 One labour-saving product of this establishment deserves to be noticed. It is the ready-sensitised and self-toning paper.
1950 Pop. Photogr. July 26/3 We have found du Pont's new Warmtone Projection Paper one of the most effective and easy-to-use ‘self-toning’ papers on the market.
2007 M. Osterman in M. R. Peres Focal Encycl. Photogr. (ed. 4) 111/2 Self-toning paper At the end of the 19th century some commercial collodion and gelatin printing-out papers were made available with the toner in the emulsion.
self-trial n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈtrʌɪəl/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈtraɪ(ə)l/
testing of one's faith, endurance, mental or physical strength, etc., esp. through suffering; (also) critical examination of one's thoughts or behaviour.
ΚΠ
1591 J. Hester in tr. J. Du Chesne Breefe Aunswere Expos. I. Aubertus To Rdr. sig. A3 Selfe tryall hath taught mee this since I first vndertooke to search the secrets of Earthes flowing bountie,..I haue suffered all the vnpleasant sharpnes that experiences pathes yeeldes.
1640 T. Hooker (title) The Christians two chiefe lessons; viz. Selfe-deniall, and Selfe-tryall.
1737 T. Bowyer True Acct. Lord's Supper (ed. 2) vi. 158 How can he, who has long gone on in a Course of Sin and Wickedness, have this lively Faith, without a long, at least some, time of Self-trial?
1861 Boston Investigator 6 Mar. 364/2 Solemn soliloquies of self-trial to discover our motives.
1905 S. W. Mitchell Constance Trescot ii. vii. 352 Her power of self-trial and self-condemnation was lost.
2011 Talk of Town (Nexis) 5 Aug. She was learning one of life's greatest lessons—the lesson of self-trial.
self-validating adj.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈvalᵻdeɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈvæləˌdeɪdɪŋ/
(a) that confirms its own validity (without recourse to external authority); (b) that affirms a person's self-worth.
ΚΠ
1888 Proc. Aristotelian Soc. 1 13 Its [sc. the reasoning process] logical character as a self-sifting, and therefore a self-validating or self-justifying action.
1945 Mind 54 46 These beliefs were after all cases of immediate knowledge which would therefore be self-validating and so require no further explanation.
1966 Proc. 7th Internat. Congr. Gerontol. 6 313 The availability of self validating experiences are radically diminished in a home for the aged.
1997 R. G. Wright Selling Words i. 34 Once the culture of commercial speech becomes too pervasive, it turns into a closed, self-perpetuating, self-reinforcing, self-validating system.
2004 Ebony Mar. 30/2 A handbook of 99 self-validating expressions to help young women..build confidence and self-respect.
self-value n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈvaljuː/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈvælju/
confidence in one's own merit or importance; self-worth.
ΚΠ
1574 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. St. Paule to Galathians ii. f. 67v Furthermore lette vs learne also, not too bring any imaginacion of selfe value [Fr. pour nous faire valoir] when wee come vntoo God.
1651 W. Davenant Gondibert (new ed.) viii. 155 If knowledge, early got, self-value breeds, By false digestion it is turn'd to wind.
1778 V. Knox Ess. II. xxi. 217 The very attempt [at autobiography] implies a considerable degree of self-value.
1817 Liverpool Mercury 28 Feb. 280/2 Give them self-confidence—self-estimation—self-value;—let them be again a part of that people to whom you have attributed majesty.
1909 H. Münsterberg Eternal Values xii. 341 The moral will which is anchored in the absolute self-value of the acting person also represents the higher stage of the self-development.
2005 Ebony Oct. 32/3 (heading) When you take pride in yourself, you don't feel threatened by others, and you don't feel inferior to others... You have self-value.
† self-veined adj. [compare vein v. 3] Obsolete rare injured by oneself in a vein.In quot. 1596 in figurative context.
ΚΠ
1596 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) x. lx. 265 Of Belgike, long selfe-vaind, rests how the blood doth stench [1602 how the blood to stench].
self-witness n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈwɪtnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈwɪtnᵻs/
rare before 19th cent. testimony given regarding one's own nature, conduct, etc.Often in religious contexts.
ΚΠ
1560 Medit. Penitent Sinner sig. H.iiv, in A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias As selfe witnes of thy beknowyng hart.And secrete gilt of thine owne conscience saith.
1864 J. M'Clintock & C. E. Blumenthal tr. A. Neander Life Jesus Christ v. i. xi. 323 Christ..admitted that self-witness is not generally valid, but declared that in his case it was.
1927 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 46 209 The self-witness of the Baptist, that he is nothing but a voice.
2003 Islamic Stud. 42 525 The United Church of Canada affirms the self-witness of Islam as a religion of peace, mercy, justice, and compassion.
self-worthiness n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈwəːðɪnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈwərðinᵻs/
personal worth, merit, or excellence; confidence in this, self-worth.
ΚΠ
1599 R. Gostwick in tr. A. Polanus Treat. conc. Gods Eternall Predestination Ep. Ded. sig. A2v The great respect of your honourable descent, selfe worthines, & deserts to me.
1639 W. Sclater, Jr. Worthy Communicant Rewarded 14 We must lay by all thoughts of honour, of place, of all kind of selfe-worthinesse.
1754 Five Lett. Advice 81 Let Those who desire to be thus saved, come in, at the Call of Free Grave, just as they are; stript of all Self-Worthiness.
1866 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Daily Sentinel 4 Jan. Right, justice, self-worthiness should rather be his guide.
1963 Child Devel. 34 469 Fourth grade boys..had not yet developed a sense of self-worthiness sufficiently unmindful of social sanctions to be able to admit worries and fears.
2012 Korea Times (Nexis) 25 Jan. This elevated self-esteem and self-worthiness allowed me to bravely face challenges and think about things more positively.
self-yeast n.
Brit. /ˌsɛlfˈjiːst/
,
U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈjist/
poetic something inherent in a person or thing which acts on him, her, or it in a manner likened to yeast.
ΚΠ
a1889 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 101 Selfyeast of spirit a dull dough sours.
1962 Tulane Drama Rev. 6 44 Self-yeast of criticism leaps to others.
2011 A. Jenkins tr. Vainglory in G. Delanty & M. Matto Word Exchange 195 Puffed with self-yeast [Old English þrymme gebyrmed], Vainglory guts him.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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