ipse

Alternative forms

ipsus (Old Latin)

Etymology

Compounded from Proto-Indo-European *éy and *swé.

In Old Latin when both parts were inflected, a glide consonant p was inserted in the form *eum-sum, yielding eum-p-sum. From these accusative forms the stems -pso and -psā were extracted and adapted to the nominative forms, thus ipsus and eapsa. Ultimately the paradigm was assimilated to that of iste, ille, with only later in the history of Latin neuter ipsum becoming ipsud.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈip.se/, [ˈɪps̠ɛ]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈip.se/, [ˈipse]
Hyphenation: ip‧se

Determiner

ipse (feminine ipsa, neuter ipsum); demonstrative pronoun (pronominal)

(emphatic) himself, herself, itself, the very, the actual [ quotations ▼]
specific reference to the chief, the leader, the one, etc., used to distinguish the principal person from the subordinates [ quotations ▼]
in person
for one's part, for his part, for her part
alone, by oneself, by one's own accord, of one's own nature
just (with an adverb of time)
nunc ipsum ― just now; at this very time

tum ipsum ― just now; at that very time
exactly, precisely, just (with a numeral or for contrast)

Declension

Demonstrative pronoun (pronominal).

Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Number	Singular			Plural
Nominative	ipse	ipsa	ipsum	ipsī	ipsae	ipsa
Genitive	ipsī̆us			ipsōrum	ipsārum	ipsōrum
Dative	ipsī			ipsīs
Accusative	ipsum	ipsam	ipsum	ipsōs	ipsās	ipsa
Ablative	ipsō	ipsā	ipsō	ipsīs

It follows the pronominal declension

In Medieval Latin the neuter form ipsud (instead of ipsum) appears.

[1