# himself

Pronunciation: say "him-SELF" /hɪmˈsɛlf/

## Pronoun

1. Used as the object of a verb or preposition when it refers back to a male subject within the same clause.
   - Simple: Used to show that a man or boy does something to or for the same person who is doing the action.
   - _He convinced himself that everything would work out._
   - _The senator excused himself from the vote to avoid a conflict of interest._
2. Used to emphasize the male referent, often to stress that he and no one else performs or undergoes the action.
   - Simple: Used to stress one particular man or boy, often to show that he, and nobody else, did the thing.
   - _The author himself admitted the early chapters were weak._
   - _She was surprised that the director himself answered the phone._
3. A male person's ordinary self in health, spirits or conduct, used chiefly after be, feel or seem.
   - Simple: A man's or boy's normal way of feeling and acting, often used after be, feel or seem.
   - _He's been quiet and short-tempered all week; he just isn't himself._
   - _Two weeks after the operation, Dad says he finally feels like himself again._
4. Used as subject or object for the important man of a household or group, such as a husband or the boss; also used mockingly of a self-important man. *(Ireland)*
   - Simple: He or him, said of the most important man in a home or group, or mockingly of a self-important man.
   - _Mrs. Doyle sent the new maid upstairs to wake himself at eight sharp._
   - _Oh, himself has finally decided to join us for dinner._

## Other meanings

- (pronoun) Used as the subject or non-reflexive object of a predicate to mean he himself; archaic except in Irish English.

## Origin

Old English "him selfum" became Middle English "hymself." It amounts to "him" combined with "-self."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/himself (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).