ego

See also: Ego, égo, égő, ego-, -ego, and его

English

Etymology

From Latin ego (“I”). Chosen by Freud’s translator as a translation of his use of German Ich as a noun for this concept from the pronoun ich (“I”). Doublet of I and Ich.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈiːɡəʊ/
  • (obsolete) IPA^(key): /ˈɛɡəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈiɡoʊ/
• Rhymes: -iːɡəʊ

Noun

ego (countable and uncountable, plural egos)

2. The self, especially with a sense of self-importance.
   • 1998, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

     When every thought absorbs your attention completely, when you are so identified with the voice in your head and the emotions that accompany it that you lose yourself in every thought and every emotion, then you are totally identified with form and therefore in the grip of ego. Ego is a conglomeration of recurring thought forms and conditioned mental-emotional patterns that are invested with a sense of I, a sense of self.

3. (psychology, Freudian) The most central part of the mind, which mediates with one's surroundings.
   • 1954, Calvin S. Hall, “A Primer of Freudian Psychology”

     In the well adjusted person the ego is the executive of the personality and is governed by the reality principle.

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, London: Heinemann, →OCLC, page 19:

     ‘Everything begins with “I”, you mean. Which is ego,’ said Tom, placing an ankle behind his ear, ‘not id.’

Synonyms

• I, Ich

Coordinate terms

• (Freudian self): id, superego

Derived terms

• absolute ego
• alter ego
• auxiliary ego
• ego shooter
• ego surfing
• ego trip
• ego-dystonic
• ego-minded
• ego-mindedness
• ego-self
• ego-surfing
• ego-syntonic
• ego-trip
• ego-tripping
• egocentric
• egocentrically
• egocentricity
• egocentrism
• egodystonic
• egoism
• egoist
• egoistic
• egoistical
• egoistically
• egomania
• egomaniac
• egosyntonic
• egotism
• egotist
• egotistic
• egotistical
• egotistically
• empirical ego
• executive ego function
• non-empirical ego
• pure ego
• super-ego
• superego
• transcendental ego

 

Translations

the self

• Arabic: اَلْأَنَا‎ m (al-ʔanā)
• Catalan: jo (ca) m, ego (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自我 (zh) (zì wǒ)

• Danish: ego (da) n
• Esperanto: egoo (eo)
• Finnish: minä (fi); ego (fi)
• French: moi (fr) m
• Galician: ego (gl) m, eu (gl)
• German: Ich (de) n, Ego (de) n
• Greek: εγώ (el) n (egó)
• Hebrew: אגו‎ (he) m (ego)
• Hindi: अहं (hi) (ahã)
• Ido: ego (io)
• Japanese: 自我 (ja) (じが, jiga), エゴ (ego)
• Korean: 자아 (ko) (jaa)
• Latin: idem (la) n
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ego (no) n, jeg (no) n

  Nynorsk: ego n, eg (nn) n

• Persian: خود‎ (fa) (xod), نفس‎ (fa) (nafs)
• Portuguese: ego (pt) m, eu (pt) m
• Russian: э́го (ru) n (égo), я (ru) n (ja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: е̑го m, ја̑

  Roman: ȇgo (sh) m, jȃ (sh)

• Spanish: ego (es) m, yo (es) m
• Swedish: ego (sv) n
• Telugu: అహం (te) (ahaṁ)
• Turkish: ego (tr)
• Urdu: خاکسار‎ (xāksār)
• Vietnamese: cái tôi

psychoanalytic ego

• Catalan: jo (ca) m, ego (ca) m
• Czech: ego (cs) n, já (cs) n
• Danish: jeg (da) n, ego (da) n
• Esperanto: egoo (eo), mio (eo)
• Finnish: minä (fi)
• French: moi (fr) m
• Galician: ego (gl)
• Hindi: अहं (hi) (ahã), अहम्‌ (aham‌)
• Persian: آن‌من‎ (fa) (ân-man)
• Polish: ego (pl) n
• Portuguese: ego (pt) m, eu (pt) m

Anagrams

• EOG, GEO, GOE, Geo., Goe, geo, geo-, goe

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin ego. Doublet of jo.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡo/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡu/

Noun

ego m (plural egos)

1. ego (the self)

   Synonym: jo

Related terms

• egoisme
• egoista

Further reading

• “ego” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ego (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛɡo]

Noun

ego n

1. ego
2. (psychoanalysis) ego

Declension

Declension of ego

	singular	plural
nominative	ego	ega
genitive	ega	eg
dative	egu	egům
accusative	ego	ega
vocative	ego	ega
locative	egu	egách
instrumental	egem	egy

Synonyms

• já

Related terms

• alter ego
• egoismus
• egoista
• egoistický

 

See also

• superego
• id

Further reading

• ego in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu
• ego in Akademický slovník cizích slov, 1995, at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz

Dutch

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin egō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeː.ɣoː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ego

Noun

ego n (plural ego's, diminutive egootje n)

1. ego, self

Derived terms

• egodocument

Related terms

• egoïsme, egoïst, egoïstisch

Anagrams

• oge

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin egō (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɡo/, [ˈe̞ɡo̞]
• Rhymes: -eɡo
• Syllabification^(key): e‧go

Noun

ego

1. ego
2. (psychoanalysis) ego

Declension

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

Possessive forms of ego (type valo)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	egoni	egomme
2nd person	egosi	egonne
3rd person	egonsa

Anagrams

• geo-

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from English ego, French égo, German Ego, Italian ego, Russian э́го (égo), Spanish ego. Decision no. 693, Progreso IV.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡo/

Noun

ego (invariable)

1. ego

Derived terms

• egoismo (“egoism”)
• egoista (“egoistic; selfish”)
• egoisto (“egotist”)
• ne-ego (“nonego, the external world”)
• neego (“nonego, the external world”)

 

Indonesian

Etymology

From Latin ego (“I”), from Proto-Italic *egō, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂. Doublet of eke.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈeɡo]
• Hyphenation: égo

Noun

ego (first-person possessive egoku, second-person possessive egomu, third-person possessive egonya)

1. (psychology) ego.

Derived terms

• ego alien
• ego bebas konflik

 

Further reading

• “ego” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ego.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.ɡo/
• Rhymes: -ɛɡo
• Syllabification: è‧go

Noun

ego m (invariable)

1. ego

Further reading

• ego in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• geo-, goe

Latin

Alternative forms

• eco (Early Latin)

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *egō, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἐγώ (egṓ).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡoː/, [ˈɛɡoː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡo/, [ˈɛːɡo]

(with iambic shortening)

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡo/, [ˈɛɡɔ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡo/, [ˈɛːɡo]

Pronoun

ego or egō (first person, nominative, plural nōs)

1. I; first person singular personal pronoun, nominative case
   • 4th century, St Jerome, Vulgate, Tobit 3:19

     et aut ego indigna fui illis aut illi mihi forsitan digni non fuerunt quia forsitan viro alio conservasti me

     And either I was unworthy of them, or they perhaps were not worthy of me: because perhaps thou hast kept me for another man

Declension

Number	Singular							Plural
Person	First	Second	Reflexive third	Third				First	Second	Reflexive third	Third
Case / Gender	Masc./ Fem./Neut.			Masc.	Fem.	Neut.		Masc./ Fem./Neut.			Masc.	Fem.	Neut.
Nominative	ego egō	tū	—	is	ea	id		nōs	vōs	—	eī iī	eae	ea
Genitive	meī	tuī	suī	eius				nostrī nostrum	vestrī vestrum	suī	eōrum	eārum	eōrum
Dative	mihi	tibi	sibi	eī				nōbīs	vōbīs	sibi	eīs
Accusative	mē	tē	sē sēsē	eum	eam	id		nōs	vōs	sē sēsē	eōs	eās	ea
Ablative	mē	tē	sē sēsē	eō	eā	eō		nōbīs	vōbīs	sē sēsē	eīs
Vocative	egō	tū	—					nōs	vōs	—

• Mēd is an early form of mē.

Derived terms

• mecum
• egomet, meimet, mihimet, memet
• proximus egomet mihi

Descendants

Inherited

• Sardinian: dego, deo, deu, ego, eo, eu
• Vulgar Latin: eo (see there for further descendants)

Borrowed

• → Catalan: ego
• → Dutch: ego
• → English: ego
• → French: ego
• → Galician: ego
• → German: Ego
• → Italian: ego
• → Portuguese: ego
• → Spanish: ego

See also

Latin personal pronouns together with the possessive and reflexive pronouns

Number	Person	Gender	Nominative	Genitive	Dative	Accusative	Ablative	Possessive
Singular	First	—	ego	meī	mihi	mē		meus, -a, -um
	Second	—	tū	tuī	tibi	tē		tuus, -a, -um
	Reflexive third	—	—	suī	sibi	sē, sēsē		suus, -a, -um
	Third	Masculine	is	eius	eī	eum	eō	eius
		Feminine	ea			eam	eā
		Neuter	id			id	eō
Plural	First	—	nōs	nostrī, nostrum	nōbīs	nōs	nōbīs	noster, -tra, -trum
	Second	—	vōs	vestrī, vestrum	vōbīs	vōs	vōbīs	vester, -tra, -trum
	Reflexive third	—	—	suī	sibi	sē, sēsē		suus, -a, -um
	Third	Masculine	eī, iī	eōrum	eīs	eōs	eīs	eōrum
		Feminine	eae	eārum		eās		eārum
		Neuter	ea	eōrum		ea		eōrum

References

• “ego”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ego”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ego in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• ego in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be hardly able to restrain one's tears: vix me contineo quin lacrimem
    
  • I cannot sleep for anxiety: curae somnum mihi adimunt, dormire me non sinunt
    
  • I'm undone! it's all up with me: perii! actum est de me! (Ter. Ad. 3. 2. 26)
    
  • I was induced by several considerations to..: multae causae me impulerunt ad aliquid or ut...
    
  • I console myself with..: hoc (illo) solacio me consōlor
    
  • I console myself with..: haec (illa) res me consolatur
    
  • (great) advantage accrues to me from this: fructus ex hac re redundant in or ad me
    
  • I will refuse you nothing: nihil tibi a me postulanti recusabo
    
  • I express my approval of a thing: res a me probatur
    
  • as far as I can guess: quantum ego coniectura assequor, auguror
    
  • if I am not mistaken: nisi (animus) me fallit
    
  • unless I'm greatly mistaken: nisi omnia me fallunt
    
  • I am not unaware: me non fugit, praeterit
    
  • I cannot bring myself to..: a me impetrare non possum, ut
    
  • I forget something: oblivio alicuius rei me capit
    
  • experience has taught me: usus me docuit
    
  • this goes to prove what I say: hoc est a (pro) me
    
  • the matter speaks for itself: res ipsa (pro me apud te) loquitur
    
  • something harasses me, makes me anxious: aliquid me sollicitat, me sollicitum habet, mihi sollicitudini est, mihi sollicitudinem affert
    
  • I am discontented with my lot: fortunae meae me paenitet
    
  • I am not dissatisfied with my progress: non me paenitet, quantum profecerim
    
  • what will become of me: quid (de) me fiet? (Ter. Heaut. 4. 3. 37)
    
  • it's all over with me; I'm a lost man: actum est de me
    
  • I have great hopes that..: magna me spes tenet (with Acc. c. Inf.) (Tusc. 1. 41. 97)
    
  • hope has played me false: spes me frustratur
    
  • I have received a legacy from a person: hereditas ad me or mihi venit ab aliquo (Verr. 2. 1. 10)
    
  • I have no objection: per me licet
    
  • (ambiguous) to be burned to ashes: incendio deleri, absūmi
    
  • (ambiguous) to be carried off by a disease: morbo absūmi (Sall. Iug. 5. 6)
    
  • (ambiguous) to die a natural death: morbo perire, absūmi, consūmi
    
  • (ambiguous) according to my strong conviction: ex animi mei sententia (vid. sect. XI. 2)
    
  • (ambiguous) I put myself at your disposal as regards advice: consilii mei copiam facio tibi
    
  • (ambiguous) my dear father: pater optime or carissime, mi pater (vid. sect. XII. 10)
    
  • (ambiguous) I swear on my conscience: ex animi mei sententia iuro
    

Latvian

Noun

ego m (invariable)

1. ego

Noun

ego m (invariable)

1. eglantine

Synonyms

• smaržlapu roze

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ego.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.ɡɔ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɡɔ
• Syllabification: e‧go

Noun

ego n (indeclinable)

1. (psychoanalysis) ego (the most central part of the mind which mediates with one's surroundings)

Further reading

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

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ego (“I”). Doublet of eu.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.ɡu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.ɡu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.ɡo/

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

• Hyphenation: e‧go

Noun

ego m (plural egos)

1. ego (the self)
2. (psychology) ego (most central part of the mind)

Derived terms

• massagear o ego

Related terms

• egocêntrico
• egocentrismo
• egoísmo
• egoísta
• egoístico
• ególatra
• egolatria
• egomania
• egomaníaco
• egômano
• egotismo
• egotista
• eu

 

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Latin ego.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /êːɡo/
• Hyphenation: e‧go

Noun

ȇgo m (Cyrillic spelling е̑го)

1. ego

Declension

Declension of ego

	singular	plural
nominative	ȇgo	ega
genitive	ȇga	ega
dative	egu	egima
accusative	ego	ega
vocative	ego	ega
locative	egu	egima
instrumental	egom	egima

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin ego (“I”). Doublet of yo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɡo/ [ˈe.ɣ̞o]
• Rhymes: -eɡo
• Syllabification: e‧go

Noun

ego m (plural egos)

1. ego

   Synonym: yo

Related terms

• egocéntrico
• egoísmo
• egoísta

 

Further reading

• “ego”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Turkish

Etymology

From Latin ego (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈe.ɡo/

Noun

ego (definite accusative egou, plural egolar)

1. ego (the self, especially with a sense of self-importance)
2. (psychoanalysis) ego

Related terms

• egoist
• egoizm
• egosantrik