thineself

English

Etymology

From thine +‎ -self.

Pronoun

thineself

1. Synonym of thyself
   • 1794, “Moral Sentences and Maxims”, in Exercises, Instructive and Entertaining, in False English; […], the fifth edition, Leeds: […] John Binns;  […], page 3:

     Accoſtom thineſelf toe do wel on hall occaſions.

   • 1795, Rudiments of Constructive Etymology and Syntax, London: […] T. Knott, […] G. Nicholson, […], section IV, page 138:

     In these manner accustom thineself to breathe freely and imperceptibly, as thee proceeds.

   • 1867, S[usan] E. D. Smith, quoting James Levi Pfluger, edited by John Little, The Soldier’s Friend; Being a Thrilling Narrative of Grandma Smith’s Four Years’ Experience and Observation, as Matron, in the Hospitals of the South, During the Late Disastrous Conflict in America, Memphis, Tenn.: […] the Bulletin Publishing Company, page 283:

     Thou wilt thineself no doubt deny / The soldiers’ wants to supply.

   • 1888 October 21, Cook, “Correspondence”, in Union Pacific Employes’ Magazine, volume III, number 10, published November 1888, page 317, column 2:

     Teach in thine own household what you would have others do to thineself.

   • 1889, “Invectives Against a French Physician”, in T. C. Minor, transl., The Evil that has been said of Doctors: Extracts from Early Writers, Cincinnati, Ohio: […] Lancet-Clinic, collation of Le mal qu’on a dit des médecins by S. J. Witkoski [Gustave Joseph Witkowski], chapter XVII, pages 52–53:

     Go, carrion thineself among the tombs; go and ordure thineself in other filthy things and leave true philosophy to real philosophers. Thou believest thineself to be a philosopher; do not deceive thineself.

   • 1893, “Miscellaneous”, in List of Duplicates in Michigan State Library for Sale or Exchange, page 6:

     Beecher, Rev. Thos., Let Another Man Praise Thee, Not Thineself.

   • 1895 April 25, W. A. Toombs, “Chronicles”, in The Bee‎^[1], sixth year, number 17, Earlington, Ken., column 5:

     “Art not thou fully ashamed of thineself, being fully sufficient to make a horse snort.

   • 1900 November 5, “Disgusted by Dockery. Thousand Left Kansas City Hall When He Began to Speak. […]”, in St. Louis Globe-Democrat, volume 26, number 170, St. Louis, Mo., section “Dockery Incident”, page 2, column 3:

     They well knew that his unalterable rule in public life was “never commit thineself, lest it be your undoing.”

   • 1902, Light, page 145, column 2:

     When thou dost feel anger (a quality of the lower man) boiling up within thy soul’s casket, quickly turn and throw thineself upon the breast of silence.

   • 1902 October 26, Paul Lambeth, “A Continuous Performance Theatre is Started. Aristocracy in Business. […]”, in The Times, volume 17, number 229, Richmond, Va., section “For School Use”, page 25, columns 1–2:

     Thou shalt honor good men and true women, esteeming everybody the same as thineself and bow the knee before none.

   • 1909 July 22, Ida Clifton Hinshaw, “Prayer”, in The Union Republican, volume XXXVIII, number 29, Winston-Salem, N.C., page one, column 1:

     Prayer is giving, utterly, lavishly—thineself—all, / Prayer is Heaven’s gate unlocked at a sinner’s call.

   • 1913 January 2, Meis Clothing Co., “…The Ten Commandments… (Businessfied)”, in The Helena Star‎^[2], volume 7, number 52, Helena, Okla.:

     Thou shalt not steal from thineself, by paying others too much for clothes.

   • 1914, Blue and White, page 71:

     Thy matriculation requirements are that thou shalt conduct thineself with an humble spirit.

   • 1914, Happy Days: A Paper for Young and Old, page 10:

     Hie thineself hither.

   • 1915 December 9, “Local Items”, in Canadian Valley Record‎^[3], volume XI, Canton, Okla., column 3:

     Yea, Pauline, it behooveth thee to examine thineself closely, e’en as the time for New Year resolutions draweth nigh.

   • 1917 March 22, Blue Ribbon Laundry, “Inform Thineself”, in Montgomery Times, Montgomery, Ala., page eight:

     Inform Thineself / Not only in matters etherial, but worldly as well.

   • 1919 November 12, Jack Lait, “In the Wake of the News”, in The Illustrated Daily News, number 120, New York, N.Y., page 5, column 2:

     IF thou, Jack Lait, Knight of the Cap and Bells, wouldst bring back a smile to the anguished faces of the multitude, and still for a time the tongues that clacque in the lantern jaws of the arid few who would build an ark at the approach of a sandstorm; then lend an ear, lad, like a true knight, and prove thineself worthy of thine sires.

   • 1922, Champat Rai Jain, “Mythology”, in Confluence of Opposites, 3rd edition, page 265:

     When thou hast to leave the world, why dost thou tie thineself to its concerns?

   • 1923 January, Henry J. Pulver, “Views and Reviews”, in The Silent Worker: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine For, By and About the Deaf of the English-Reading World, volume 35, number 4, Trenton, N.J., page 144, column 2:

     Mayhap, thou dost know a damsel in Pawtucket whom thou dost deem passing fair, and whom thou fain wouldst hitch to thineself.

   • 1923 April 27, Hugh S. Fullerton, “The Ten Commandments of Sports”, in The Benson Times, volume 20, number 17, Omaha, Neb., page 3, column 2:

     Thou shalt not underestimate thine opponent nor over-estimate thineself.

   • 1951 December 6, “Music, Art Groups To Sponsor Concert, Bazaar On Tuesday”, in The South Side Times, volume XXX, number 12, Fort Wayne, Ind., page one, column 1:

     Last on the program will be the Concert Band playing a march, “The Pride of the Wolverines” by Sousa; two chorales by Bach which include “Soul, Array Thineself with Gladness” and “O, Sacred Head Now Wounded” by the Brass Section; “A Christmas Festival” by Anderson; and “Joshua” by Yoder.

   • 2003 June 22, Bill Brownstein, “OK, I’m seduced – this is Nirvana. Wait, it’s Montreal?”, in The Gazette, Montreal, Que., page B1:

     For starters, if you’re going to pig out here, you’d best be able to heal thineself, or pack a personal physician in your carry-on luggage.

Usage notes

• May be incorrect; first attested only in 1794 (in intentionally incorrect English), long after thou had become archaic.

See also

• thineselves