nonself
|non-self|
🇺🇸
/ˈnɑn.sɛlf/
🇬🇧
/ˈnɒn.sɛlf/
not part of self; foreign
Etymology
'nonself' is formed from the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') combined with 'self' (Old English 'self', meaning 'the person or thing itself').
'self' comes from Old English 'self' (related to Proto-Germanic *selbaz). The prefix 'non-' was borrowed into English from Latin 'non' as a productive negative element; the compound 'non-self' (often hyphenated) emerged in modern scientific usage (20th century) and became 'nonself' in technical contexts.
Originally, 'self' meant 'the same' or 'the person itself'; the compound 'nonself' developed in scientific discourse to mean specifically 'not part of the organism's own identity' (i.e., foreign), a specialized sense used chiefly in immunology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an entity regarded as not part of the self; a foreign substance or antigen (in immunology, any molecule or cell perceived as 'other').
The immune system can distinguish self from nonself.
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Adjective 1
not part of an organism's own body or identity; foreign to the self (used especially in immunology to describe cells, molecules, or antigens that are recognized as 'other').
The immune system mounts a response against nonself antigens.
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Last updated: 2025/10/05 10:20