Selfs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. Refers to multiple individuals' own identities or personalities regarded separately; denotes the distinct essences or conscious beings within one person or across multiple people; indicates plural forms of one's own nature, character, or individuality considered as separate entities
  2. Represents the various separate identities or personal aspects belonging to different people; signifies multiple instances of one's distinct sense of being or ego; means diverse expressions of personal awareness or character regarded individually
  3. Points to several unique personal identities or selves existing among individuals; includes different facets or versions of conscious identity within or among persons; encompasses multiple manifestations of a person's inner essence or selfhood viewed independently

Etymology: The form "selfs" is an archaic or dialectal plural of "self," the word that refers to a person's essential being or individuality. In modern English, "selves" is the standard plural form, but "selfs" appeared in earlier stages of the language and in some dialects, reflecting the fluid nature of plural formation before spelling and usage became more standardized. The singular "self" itself has deep roots, coming from Old English "self," which meant "one's own person" or "very," used as an intensive pronoun. This Old English term is related to Old Norse "selfr," and both likely stem from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "one's own." The pluralization, however, evolved over time as English moved away from Old English's more complex system of noun inflections. In Middle English, plurals could be formed by simply adding an "s," much like regular nouns, or through other means such as changing vowels or adding "en." The use of "selfs" as a plural form reflects this transitional period. Eventually, the irregular plural "selves" became dominant, likely influenced by analogy with other pronouns like "myself" and "yourself," which also pluralize by changing the ending. Today, "selves" is the accepted plural when referring to multiple individuals' identities or essences, while "selfs" has largely fallen out of use except in certain dialects or historical texts. The shift from "selfs" to "selves" illustrates the broader standardization of English plurals and the influence of pronoun patterns on noun morphology.

Synonyms: selves, egos, identities, persons, individuals