selfsame
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selfsame
- /ˈsɛlfseɪm/ UK
- /ˌsɛlfˈseɪm/ UK
- /ˈsɛlfˌseɪm/ US
Rhymes with (one RP pronunciation) -eɪm
Where it comes from
PIE word
*swé
From Middle English self sam, self same, selve same (“the very same, selfsame”) [and other forms], from self (“that specific (person mentioned), herself, himself, itself, themselves”, pronoun) (from Old English self, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“self”)) + sam, same (“(adjective) equal, identical; unchanging; referred to earlier, abovenamed, aforementioned; (adverb) again, repeatedly”) (from Old Norse samr (“same; agreeing, of one mind”), ultimately probably from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, together”)). The English word is analysable as self + same.
Cognates
* Danish selvsamme (“identical, selfsame”)
* Old High German selbsama (“identical, selfsame”)
adjective self same · self-same
-
Chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same; the very same; the same not only in being similar but in being identical.
For both of you are Birds of ſelfe-ſame Feather.
Similar: identical, indifferent, nondifferent, one and the same, self, selfsame, undifferent, undifferentiated · Opposite: other, different, differing, dissimilar, diverse, unalike, unlike
noun selfsames · self same · self-same
- Chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same person or thing. I preſent vvhat here is to you, vvherein you ſhall receive but the ſelfeſame by Number and by Meaſure; vvhich, before, you had by VVeight.
Translations
Talk about this word "selfsame." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/selfsame. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. selfsame. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/selfsame "selfsame." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/selfsame.Cite this
@misc{selfsame_2026,
title = {selfsame},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/selfsame},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
