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ego

a person's sense of self-importance

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Where does the word "ego" come from? It comes from Latin ego, and was adopted directly into English (1920s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "ego" come from? It comes from Latin ego, and was adopted directly into English (1920s).

Ego’s story begins in Latin: ego meant “I.” The Latin pronoun, cognate with English 'I'. It reached English by 1920s as ego. Freud's translators used it for German 'Ich' in 1923. Today, ego means a person's sense of self-importance.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient ego "I", the Latin pronoun, cognate with English 'I'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1920s ego "the self", Freud's translators used it for German 'Ich' in 1923.

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