# itself

Pronunciation: say "it-SELF" /ɪtˈsɛlf/

## Pronoun

1. Used as the object of a verb or preposition when it refers to the same thing as the subject of the clause.
   - Simple: Used when an action goes back to the same thing that does the action.
   - _The company found itself unable to pay its debts._
   - _The door locks by itself after ten seconds._
2. Used to emphasize a noun or pronoun, usually right after it, often stressing that the thing alone, and not anything connected with it, is involved.
   - Simple: Used after a thing's name to show that exact thing, and nothing else, is meant.
   - _The house itself is sound; only the roof needs repair._
   - _She enjoyed the evening, though the play itself struck her as dull._

## Pronoun

3. Used where modern English would use plain 'it', referring back to a subject mentioned earlier in the sentence or passage. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Used in old writing instead of 'it' to point back to something already named.

## Origin

From Middle English hit-self, formed from "it" combined with "-self".

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