selfsame

Meaning

Adj

Chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same; the very same; the same not only in being similar but in being identical.

Noun

Chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same person or thing.

Opposite of

other, identical, similar

Synonyms

identical

same

very

monovular

identic

undistinguishable

nondistinguishable

Translations

idéntico

même

tıpkı

identique

idêntico

aynı

identieke

dieselbe

stesso

identico

derselbe

medesimo

égal

εντελός ο ίδιος

identisch

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsɛlfseɪm/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: self sam

Inherited from Old English: self

Cognate with Danish: selvsamme

Cognate with Old High German: selbsama

In summary

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”)