I-hood

See also: Ihood

English

Alternative forms

• Ihood

Etymology

From I +‎ -hood, chiefly a calque of German Ichheit (“selfhood”). Compare also Dutch ikheid (“individuality”).

Noun

I-hood (uncountable)

1. The state of one's own self or identity; one's conscious personality.
   • 1653, J. Sparrow tr. J. Boehme, Considerations upon Esaiah Stiefel:

     Our Humane Will dyed away in the Death of Christ from its own I-hood, and own Willing.

   • 1662, J. Sparrow tr. J. Boehme, Apol. Perfection in Remainder Bks.:

     The Man Christ is..the First who in the Anointing dyed to the Humane I-hood.

   • 1662, J. Sparrow tr. J. Boehme, 2nd Apol. B. Tylcken in Remainder Bks.:

     He inclineth himself to my Minehood, and my Ihood inclineth it self up into him.

   • 1871, H. Macmillan, True Vine (1872) iii.:

     He has no autarkia, or self-sufficingness—no ichheit, or I-hood, as the Germans would say.

   • 2000, S. Connor, Dumbstruck:

     The voice, as pure, lyric, unselfconscious I-hood spilling or erupting into the world, suddenly becomes part of that world and recoils upon its originator.

   • 2010, Cia Van Woezik, God - Beyond Me:

     Hence, in that respect Henrich's theory of more modest I-hood is definitely an improvement. I heartily support Henrich's attempts to bring the I 'down to earth' and to base a theory of I-hood on daily life's experiences.

Synonyms

• I-ness
• I-ship