# selfsame

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈsɛlfseɪm/

## Definitions
1. Chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same; the very same; the same not only in being similar but in being identical.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *swé
From Middle English self sam, self same, selve same (“the very same, selfsame”) [and other forms], from self (“that specific (person mentioned), herself, himself, itself, themselves”, pronoun) (from Old English self, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“self”)) + sam, same (“(adjective) equal, identical; unchanging; referred to earlier, abovenamed, aforementioned; (adverb) again, repeatedly”) (from Old Norse samr (“same; agreeing, of one mind”), ultimately probably from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, together”)). The English word is analysable as self + same.
Cognates
* Danish selvsamme (“identical, selfsame”)
* Old High German selbsama (“identical, selfsame”)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/selfsame