alter ego

See also: alter-ego, Alter Ego, and álter ego

English

Etymology

From Latin alter ego (literally “other me”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːl.təɹ iːɡəʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔl.tɚ iɡoʊ/

  Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

alter ego (plural alter egos)

1. (psychology, psychiatry) An individual's alternate personality or persona; another self.
   • 1897, Mary H. Kingsley, Travels in West Africa, page 538:

     […] a belief in the possibility of a man possessing an alter ego in the form of some animal such as a crocodile or a hippopotamus. It is believed that such a person's life is bound up with that of the animal to such an extent that, whatever affects the one produces a corresponding impression upon the other, and that if one dies the other must speedily do so too.

   • 1938, Robert Berkov, “China's Chiang”, in Strong Man of China: The Story of Chiang Kai-shek‎^[2], Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, page 1:

     As one commentator has remarked, all the confusing old three-syllable names that used to index Chinese politics can now be forgotten — the names and their bearers have ceased to be of the slightest importance. In their place stands one man — a small, frail, volatile but tremendously energetic man — who oddly enough has become the alter ego of that powerful, sprawling, sleepy giant that is China.

   • 2012 May 1, Ben Child, “Mark Ruffalo gets green light to play Hulk in six-movie deal”, in the Guardian‎^[3]:

     Ruffalo's turn as Bruce Banner and his angry green alter-ego has been widely praised. Avengers Assemble (titled The Avengers outside the UK) is on course to be one of the year's biggest films and has received strong reviews.

2. A very close and intimate friend.
   • 1974 April 13, “Sex Isn't Everything! (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, page 10:

     GWM, 5'10", 175, 40, non-smoker, MCC-er. Good build. Int. in classical music, books, travel. Seeks alter ego with own peace for honest relationship.

3. (law) A corporation used by a person to conduct personal business in an attempt to shield himself or herself from personal liability, and which a court may penetrate by "piercing the corporate veil" to impose liability on the person when they commit fraud or injustice.

Synonyms

• alter idem

Derived terms

• alteregoism
• alter (“one identity of a person with dissociative identity disorder”, noun)

 

Related terms

• alteregoism
• alter-egotism

Translations

alternate personality or persona

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 另一個我 / 另一个我 (lìngyīgè wǒ), 分身 (zh) (fenshen)

• Finnish: alter ego (fi), toinen minä
• French: alter ego (fr) m, un autre moi-même m
• German: Alter Ego (de) n, anderes Ich n
• Hungarian: alteregó (hu)
• Icelandic: annað sjálf n
• Japanese: アルター・エゴ (arutā-ego), 分身 (ja) (ぶんしん, bunshin)
• Korean: 분신 (ko) (bunsin), 다른 자아 (dareun jaa)
• Latin: alter ego m
• Norwegian: alter ego n
• Polish: alter ego (pl) n, drugie ja n
• Portuguese: alter ego (pt), outro eu (pt)
• Russian: а́льтер э́го (ru) n (álʹtɛr égo), друго́е я n (drugóje ja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: алтер его, друго ја n

  Roman: alter ego (sh), drugo ja n

• Spanish: alter ego (es) m, otro yo m
• Swedish: alter ego (sv) n
• Tagalog: haliako

very close and intimate friend

• Finnish: sydänystävä (fi)

See also

• double life

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin alter ego.

Noun

alter ego

1. alter ego (somebody's alternate personality or persona)

Declension

Inflection of alter ego (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		alter ego	alter egot
genitive		alter egon	alter egojen
partitive		alter egoa	alter egoja
illative		alter egoon	alter egoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		alter ego	alter egot
accusative	nom.	alter ego	alter egot
	gen.	alter egon
genitive		alter egon	alter egojen
partitive		alter egoa	alter egoja
inessive		alter egossa	alter egoissa
elative		alter egosta	alter egoista
illative		alter egoon	alter egoihin
adessive		alter egolla	alter egoilla
ablative		alter egolta	alter egoilta
allative		alter egolle	alter egoille
essive		alter egona	alter egoina
translative		alter egoksi	alter egoiksi
abessive		alter egotta	alter egoitta
instructive		—	alter egoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of alter ego (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative alter egoni alter egoni accusative nom. alter egoni alter egoni gen. alter egoni genitive alter egoni alter egojeni partitive alter egoani alter egojani inessive alter egossani alter egoissani elative alter egostani alter egoistani illative alter egooni alter egoihini adessive alter egollani alter egoillani ablative alter egoltani alter egoiltani allative alter egolleni alter egoilleni essive alter egonani alter egoinani translative alter egokseni alter egoikseni abessive alter egottani alter egoittani instructive — — comitative — alter egoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative alter egosi alter egosi accusative nom. alter egosi alter egosi gen. alter egosi genitive alter egosi alter egojesi partitive alter egoasi alter egojasi inessive alter egossasi alter egoissasi elative alter egostasi alter egoistasi illative alter egoosi alter egoihisi adessive alter egollasi alter egoillasi ablative alter egoltasi alter egoiltasi allative alter egollesi alter egoillesi essive alter egonasi alter egoinasi translative alter egoksesi alter egoiksesi abessive alter egottasi alter egoittasi instructive — — comitative — alter egoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative alter egomme alter egomme accusative nom. alter egomme alter egomme gen. alter egomme genitive alter egomme alter egojemme partitive alter egoamme alter egojamme inessive alter egossamme alter egoissamme elative alter egostamme alter egoistamme illative alter egoomme alter egoihimme adessive alter egollamme alter egoillamme ablative alter egoltamme alter egoiltamme allative alter egollemme alter egoillemme essive alter egonamme alter egoinamme translative alter egoksemme alter egoiksemme abessive alter egottamme alter egoittamme instructive — — comitative — alter egoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative alter egonne alter egonne accusative nom. alter egonne alter egonne gen. alter egonne genitive alter egonne alter egojenne partitive alter egoanne alter egojanne inessive alter egossanne alter egoissanne elative alter egostanne alter egoistanne illative alter egoonne alter egoihinne adessive alter egollanne alter egoillanne ablative alter egoltanne alter egoiltanne allative alter egollenne alter egoillenne essive alter egonanne alter egoinanne translative alter egoksenne alter egoiksenne abessive alter egottanne alter egoittanne instructive — — comitative — alter egoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative alter egonsa alter egonsa accusative nom. alter egonsa alter egonsa gen. alter egonsa genitive alter egonsa alter egojensa partitive alter egoaan alter egoansa alter egojaan alter egojansa inessive alter egossaan alter egossansa alter egoissaan alter egoissansa elative alter egostaan alter egostansa alter egoistaan alter egoistansa illative alter egoonsa alter egoihinsa adessive alter egollaan alter egollansa alter egoillaan alter egoillansa ablative alter egoltaan alter egoltansa alter egoiltaan alter egoiltansa allative alter egolleen alter egollensa alter egoilleen alter egoillensa essive alter egonaan alter egonansa alter egoinaan alter egoinansa translative alter egokseen alter egoksensa alter egoikseen alter egoiksensa abessive alter egottaan alter egottansa alter egoittaan alter egoittansa instructive — — comitative — alter egoineen alter egoinensa

Synonyms

• toinen minä

Further reading

• “alter ego”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin alter egō̆.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal.tɛr ˈɛ.ɡɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Syllabification: al‧ter e‧go

Noun

alter ego n (indeclinable)

1. (psychology, psychiatry) alter ego (individual's alternate personality or persona; another self)

   Synonym: drugie ja

Further reading

• alter ego in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• alter ego in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• alter ego in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu/ [ˈaʊ̯.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu/ [ˈaʊ̯.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡo/ [ˈaʊ̯.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡo]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈal.tɛɾ ˈɛ.ɡu/ [ˈaɫ.tɛɾ ˈɛ.ɣu]

Noun

alter ego m (plural alter egos)

1. alter ego (alternate personality or persona)

   Synonym: outro eu

Related terms

• outro

Spanish

Alternative forms

• álter ego (superseded)
• alterego

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin alter ego (“other self”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌalteɾ ˈeɡo/ [ˌal̪.t̪eɾ ˈe.ɣ̞o]
  • Syllabification: al‧ter e‧go
• IPA^(key): /alteˈɾeɡo/ [al̪.t̪eˈɾe.ɣ̞o]
  • Rhymes: -eɡo

Noun

alter ego m (plural alter egos)

1. alter ego (alternate personality or persona)

   Synonym: otro yo

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “alter ego”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10