| 释义 |
themselves, pron. pl.|ðəmˈsɛlvz|
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 In 14th c. this was superseded in north.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 n., or adj. used subst.
α13..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. c1460Towneley Myst. xxx. 566 Thare neghburs thai demyd Thaym self as it semyd. 1533More Apol. 7 b, They se full well them selfe, that they saye not trew.
γ1502in Lett. Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) II. 107 Thei them selves coulde not acertayne us of the tyme. 1555Eden Decades To Rdr. (Arb.) 53 More monstrous then the monsters theim selues. 1561T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer ii. (1577) I vij b, Oftentimes to them themselues, they thrust out filthy and most dishonest wordes. 1651Howell Venice 143 Approv'd of by the Popes Breve's themselfs. 1779Mirror No. 54 ⁋7 You tell us the effects of your feelings, child; but you don't distinguish the feelings themselves. 1810Crabbe Borough ii. 110 Monuments themselves memorials need. 1872Hardy Under Greenw. Tree Pref., Music-paper (which they mostly ruled themselves). 1876Gladstone 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.
α1512Helyas in Thoms Prose Rom. (1828) III. 30 Thiniuries that them self had made. 1549Coverdale, etc. Erasm. Par. Rom. 38 Vnlearned people.., whiche thinke nothing rightful, but that them selfe do.
β13..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].
γ1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. 105 Theimselfes by great pielage..dooe growe dayly & encrease in welthe. 1624Bedell Lett. x. 135 Themselues doe vtterly denie it. 1701Swift Contests Nobles & Com. Wks. 1755 II. i. 51 To remember how themselves sate in fear of their persons. 1853Lynch 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 behaviour: see self D. 1.
1698Lister in Phil. Trans. XX. 247 They came so out of their Fits, that they were also well and as much themselves as ever. 1698Fryer 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.
1375Barbour Bruce xiii. 234 Ane of them-selwyne that wes thar Capitane of thame all thai maid. c1400Destr. Troy 1582 To selle and to se as þaim selfe lyked. c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 108 But yt move of themselfe, for sothe they thynke yt ryghte nowghte. 1711Addison Spect. No. 26 ⁋5 The Monuments of their [Dutch] Admirals..represent them like themselves. 1764Reid Inquiry i. §1 If we would know the works of God, we must consult themselves with attention and humility. 1825Scott Betrothed xxvi, They have..sacked the houses of the Flemings, spoiled their goods, misused their families, and murdered themselves. 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.
α13..Cursor M. 386 (Cott.) Alkin things grouand..in þam self þaire seding bere. Ibid. 16455 Þai ches þaim-self dampnacion. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxiv. 518 They putte themself so to flighte. 1493Beverley MSS. in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. XLVI. 620 That the Drapers shall have a confraternite emong thame self..as other crafts hafe. a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV 239 Hys heyres and successors..by them self, or their deputie should offer a hart of lyke weight and value. c1550R. Bieston Bayte Fortune B iv b, All men..Enforce them selfe to please him.
β13..Cursor M. 801 (Gött.) Þan þai sau þaim seluen bare. Ibid. 3455 (Cott.) Til þay had o þam seluen might [Gött. þaim seluen; Fairf. ham-seluen; Trin. hem self]. 1375Barbour Bruce i. 502 Fayn to mak thaim-selwyn fre. 1419in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 73 Thay kepe this good emonge thaim selven.
γ1502in Lett. Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) II. 107 Thei wold confesse them selves to be there as commissioners. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 135 b, The remnant..lept ouer the castle wal, and so saued themselfes. 1565Stapleton tr. Bede's Hist. 163 [They] did cast lotts equally amongst them selfs. 1611Bible Gen. iii. 7 They..made themselues aprons. 1617Moryson Itin. iii. 70 The dores..by waights are made to shut of themselves. 1647Trapp Comm. 2 Thess. iii. 11 Whose whole life is to eat..and laugh themselves fat. 1779Mirror No. 17 ⁋15 Not to make fools of themselves. 1818Scott Rob Roy xxvi, These Hielands of ours..are but a wild kind of warld by themsells. 1885Manch. Exam. 16 Sept. 5/2 The points on which they differ among themselves.
5. In concord with a singular pronoun or n. denoting a person, in cases where the meaning implies more than one, as when the n. is qualified by a distributive, or refers to either sex: = himself or herself. Cf. they 2, them 2.
α1464Rolls of Parlt. V. 513/2 Inheritements, of which any of the seid persones..was seised by theym self, or joyntly with other. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon i. 39 Eche of theym sholde..make theymselfe redy. 1533More Apol. 55 b, Neyther Tyndale there nor thys precher..hath by theyr maner of expounynge..wonne them self mych wurshyp.
γ1600Shakes. Lucr. 125 Euery one to rest themselues [ed. 1594 himselfe] betake. 1654–66Earl of Orrery Parthen. (1676) 147 All that happened, which every one assured themselves, would render him a large sharer in the general joy. 1874G. W. 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 n. (= 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.
α13..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. c1440Alphabet of Tales 110 Þai þat will commend þer selfe vnto þe devull. c1490Caxton Rule St. Benet xxxiii. 129 Nor it is leefull ony to haue a thyng to theyrself propre. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 101 They may hit a nother I trow and neuer take blow theyr selfe. a1912Mod. Sc. Thai offert to dui't thersel. c1926‘Mixer’ Transport Workers' Song Bk. 92 Their ambition is theirself. 1969in Halpert & Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 159 They used to work theirself from all shapes. They have a couple of pillows up their back and another one on their stomach. 1979N. Mailer Executioner's Song i. xxvii. 422 All they want to do is leave theirself a case for appeal.
β13..Cursor M. 3708 (Fairf.) Alle þa atte blessis þe Sal þaire-seluen [Cott. þam-self, Gött. þaim seluen] blessed be.
γ1500–20Dunbar Poems xxiii. 27 Quhen thair baggis ar full thair selfis ar bair. 1525Ld. Berners Froiss. II. 473 They had gret desyre to prove their selfes. c1560A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxx. 20 Till thay mischeif þair sellis. a1568R. Ascham Scholem. (Arb.) 97 Liking it well their selues. 1659Gauden Slight Healers (1660) 47 To commend their skill to the publique, by giving some good experiments on their selves. 1728Morgan Algiers I. Pref. 22 They aver that they theirselves have been no less scandalized than I myself. a1836Boothroyd Bible Ps. xxxvii 2 They theirselves stumbled and fell. 1901M. Franklin My Brilliant Career xxxiii. 277 A new fowl-house which ‘Horace and Stanley built all by theirselves’. 1907G. B. Shaw Major Barbara ii. 241 Arf the street prayed; an the tother arf larfed fit to split theirselves. a1912Mod. Sc. Thai beikit thersel's in the sun. 1955F. O'Connor Wise Blood x. 167 The unredeemed are redeeming theirselves and the new jesus is at hand! 1965C. Brown Manchild in Promised Land xiii. 314 Them damn junkies take care of theirselves twice as good as you can. |