pron. pl. Forms: see THEM and SELF. [The original construction was nom., acc. hí, héo selfe, dat. heom selfum, whence ME. hemselve(n, etc. In 14th c. this was superseded in north. dial. by þaim self(e, þaim selven, and in Standard Eng. themself was the normal form to c. 1540, but disappeared c. 1570. Themselfs, themselves appears c. 1500, and became the standard form c. 1540. For theirself, theirselves, see III.]
I. Emphatic. = Those very persons or things.
1. Standing in apposition with the pronoun they (rarely them), or with a sb., or adj. used subst.
α. 13[?]. Cursor M., 3708 (Cott.). All þaa þat blisses þe Sal þam-self blessed be. Ibid., 8131 (Gött.). Þaim-selue again þai tok þair sty [Cott. þamself a-gain tok þai sti], And went þaim þan to ethiopy.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xxx. 566. Thare neghburs thai demyd Thaym self as it semyd.
1533. More, Apol., 7 b. They se full well them selfe, that they saye not trew.
γ. 1502. in Lett. Rich. III. & Hen. VII. (Rolls), II. 107. Thei them selves coulde not acertayne us of the tyme.
1555. Eden, Decades, To Rdr. (Arb.), 53. More monstrous then the monsters theim selues.
1561. T. Hoby, trans. Castiglione’s Courtyer, II. (1577), I vij b. Oftentimes to them themselues, they thrust out filthy and most dishonest wordes.
1651. Howell, Venice, 143. Approv’d of by the Popes Breve’s themselfs.
1779. Mirror, No. 54, ¶ 7. You tell us the effects of your feelings, child; but you don’t distinguish the feelings themselves.
1810. Crabbe, Borough, ii. 110. Monuments themselves memorials need.
1872. Hardy, Under Greenw. Tree, Pref. Music-paper (which they mostly ruled themselves).
1876. Gladstone, Glean. (1879), II. 295. Themselves knowing nothing of difficulty, or of obscurity,… they are liable to be intolerant of other men who stumble.
2. Used alone for emphasis as a simple nominative. arch.
α. 1512. Helyas, in Thoms, Prose Rom. (1828), III. 30. Thiniuries that them self had made.
1549. Coverdale, etc., Erasm. Par. Rom., 38. Vnlearned people…, whiche thinke nothing rightful, but that them selfe do.
β. 13[?]. Cursor M., 23517 (Edin.). God … louis þaim als his auen sonis, Mar þan þaim-selwin lof þair driht [Cott. Mare þan þam-seluen luue þai dright].
γ. 1542. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 105. Theimselfes by great pielage … dooe growe dayly & encrease in welthe.
1624. Bedell, Lett., x. 135. Themselues doe vtterly denie it.
1701. Swift, Contests Nobles & Com., Wks. 1755, II. I. 51. To remember how themselves sate in fear of their persons.
1853. Lynch, Self-Improv., ii. 44. People’s timorousness … shows how insecurely grounded themselves are.
b. To be themselves: to be in their normal condition of mind, body, or behavior: see SELF D. 1.
1698. Lister, in Phil. Trans., XX. 247. They came so out of their Fits, that they were also well and as much themselves as ever.
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 379. Yet those … are always as lean as Skeletons, and seldom themselves.
3. As emphatic objective. Now chiefly as object of a preposition.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XIII. 234. Ane of them-selwyne that wes thar Capitane of thame all thai maid.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1582. To selle and to se as þaim selfe lyked.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 108. But yt move of themselfe, for sothe they thynke yt ryghte nowghte.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 26, ¶ 5. The Monuments of their [Dutch] Admirals … represent them like themselves.
1764. Reid, Inquiry, i. § 1. If we would know the works of God, we must consult themselves with attention and humility.
1825. Scott, Betrothed, xxvi. They have … sacked the houses of the Flemings, spoiled their goods, misused their families, and murdered themselves. Ibid. (1827), Surg. Dau., iv. You are one of themselves, you know—Middlemas of that Ilk.
II. Reflexive: = L. sibi, se; F. se, soi; G. sich.
4. As direct obj. (accusative), indirect obj. (dative), or object of a preposition.
α. 13[?]. Cursor M., 386 (Cott.). Alkin things grouand … in þam self þaire seding bere. Ibid., 16455. Þai ches þaim-self dampnacion.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xxiv. 518. They putte themself so to flighte.
1493. Beverley MSS., in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., XLVI. 620. That the Drapers shall have a confraternite emong thame self … as other crafts hafe.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Edw. IV., 239. Hys heyres and successors … by them self, or their deputie should offer a hart of lyke weight and value.
c. 1550. R. Bieston, Bayte Fortune, B iv b. All men … Enforce them selfe to please him.
β. 13[?]. Cursor M., 801 (Gött). Þan þai sau þaim seluen bare. Ibid., 3455 (Cott.). Til þay had o þam seluen might [Gött. þain seluen; Fairf. ham-seluen; Trin. hem self].
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 502. Fayn to mak thaim-selwyn fre.
1419. in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. II. I. 73. Thay kepe this good emonge thaim selven.
γ. 1502. in Lett. Rich. III. & Hen. VII. (Rolls), II. 107. Thei wold confesse them selves to be there as commissioners.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 135 b. The remnant … lept ouer the castle wal, and so saued themselfes.
1565. Stapleton, trans. Bede’s Hist., 163. [They] did cast lotts equally amongst them selfs.
1611. Bible, Gen. iii. 7. They … made themselues aprons.
1617. Moryson, Itin., III. 70. The dores … by waights are made to shut of themselves.
1647. Trapp, Comm. 2 Thess. iii. 11. Whose whole life is to eat … and laugh themselves fat.
1779. Mirror, No. 17, ¶ 15. Not to make fools of themselves.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, xxvi. These Hielands of ours … are but a wild kind of warld by themsells.
1885. Manch. Exam., 16 Sept., 5/2. The points on which they differ among themselves.
5. In concord with a singular pronoun or sb. denoting a person, in cases where the meaning implies more than one, as when the sb. is qualified by a distributive, or refers to either sex: = himself or herself. Cf. THEY 2, THEM 2.
γ. 1464. Rolls of Parlt., V. 513/2. Inheritements, of which any of the seid persones … was seised by theym self, or joyntly with other.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, i. 39. Eche or theym sholde … make theymselfe redy.
1533. More, Apol., 55 b. Neyther Tyndale there nor thys precher … hath by theyr maner of expounynge … wonne them self mych wurshyp.
γ. 1600. Shaks., Lucr., 125. Euery one to rest themselues [ed. 1594 himselfe] betake.
1654–66. Earl Orrery, Parthen. (1676), 147. All that happened, which every one assured themselves, would render him a large sharer in the general joy.
1874. Dasent, Half a Life, 3. Every one likes to keep it to themselves as long as they can.
III. From the 14th c. there has been a tendency to treat self as a sb. (= person, personality), and substitute their for them (cf. his self, HIMSELF IV.).
This is prevalent dialectally, but in literary Eng. has place only where an adj. intervenes, as their own, sweet, very selves. See SELF C. 1 a, and cf. OURSELF, OURSELVES.
α. 13[?]. Cursor M., 5378 (Cott.). To ches þam ware þair-self will neuen. Ibid., 6968 (Fairf.). Ilka kinrede of þa twelue Had an ouer-man be þaire [v.rr. ham, þaim, hem] selue.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 110. Þai þat will commend þer selfe vnto þe devull.
c. 1490. Caxton, Rule St. Benet, xxxiii. 129. Nor it is leefull ony to haue a thyng to theyrself propre.
1545. Ascham, Toxoph. (Arb.), 101. They may hit a nother I trow and neuer take blow theyr selfe.
Mod. Sc. Thai offert to dui’t thersel.
β. 13[?]. Cursor M., 3708 (Fairf.). Alle þa atte blessis þe Sal þaire-seluen [Cott. þam-self, Gött. þaim seluen] blessed be.
γ. 1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xxiii. 27. Quhen thair baggis ar full thair selfis ar bair.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. 473. They had gret desyre to prove their selfes.
c. 1560. A. Scott, Poems (S.T.S.), xxx. 20. Till thay mischeif þair sellis.
a. 1568. Ascham, Scholem. (Arb.), 97. Liking it well their selues.
1659. Gauden, Slight Healers (1660), 47. To commend their skill to the publique, by giving some good experiments on their selves.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, I. Pref. 22. They aver that they theirselves have been no less scandalized than I myself.
a. 1836. Boothroyd, Bible, Ps. xxxvii. 2. They theirselves stumbled and fell.
Mod. Sc. Thai beikit thersel’s in the sun.
