Revised 2010

alter egonoun

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency
Compounds & derived words

Quotations

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Factsheet

What does the noun alter ego mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun alter ego. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

See meaning & use

How common is the noun alter ego?

About 0.6occurrences per million words in modern written English

1750	0.0072
1760	0.0054
1770	0.0056
1780	0.0044
1790	0.0061
1800	0.0085
1810	0.012
1820	0.016
1830	0.022
1840	0.035
1850	0.05
1860	0.069
1870	0.094
1880	0.11
1890	0.12
1900	0.13
1910	0.15
1920	0.16
1930	0.2
1940	0.25
1950	0.32
1960	0.39
1970	0.48
1980	0.57
1990	0.65
2000	0.69
2010	0.74

See frequency

How is the noun alter ego pronounced?

British English

/ˌɔːltə(r) ˈiːɡəʊ/

awl-tuhr-EE-goh

/ˌɒltə(r) ˈiːɡəʊ/

ol-tuhr-EE-goh

U.S. English

/ˌɔltər ˈiɡoʊ/

awl-tuhr-EE-goh

/ˌɑltər ˈiɡoʊ/

ahl-tuhr-EE-goh

See pronunciation

Where does the noun alter ego come from?

Earliest known use

mid 1500s

The earliest known use of the noun alter ego is in the mid 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for alter ego is from 1537, in a letter by R. Layton.

alter ego is a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin alter ego.

See etymology

Nearby entries

alteration hand, n.1884–
alteration product, n.1877–
alterative, n. & adj.a1398–
alterator, n.1662–
altercand, adj.?a1400
altercate, v.1530–
altercation, n.c1405–
altercative, adj.1702–
altered, adj. & n.1563–
altered state, n.1938–
alter ego, n.1537–
alter-egoism, n.1885–
alter-egoistic, adj.1880–
alter-egotism, n.1857–
alterer, n.a1525–
alter idem, n.a1618–
altering, n.?a1425–
altering, adj.?c1425–
alterity, n.a1500–
altern, adj. & adv.1594–
altern, v.1447–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Entry history for alter ego, n.

alter ego, n. was revised in November 2010.

alter ego, n. was last modified in December 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into alter ego, n. in December 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

A Supplement to the New English Dictionary (1933)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View alter ego in OED Second Edition

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Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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MLA9

“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for alter ego, n.

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Nearby entries

alteration hand, n.1884–
alteration product, n.1877–
alterative, n. & adj.a1398–
alterator, n.1662–
altercand, adj.?a1400
altercate, v.1530–
altercation, n.c1405–
altercative, adj.1702–
altered, adj. & n.1563–
altered state, n.1938–
alter ego, n.1537–
alter-egoism, n.1885–
alter-egoistic, adj.1880–
alter-egotism, n.1857–
alterer, n.a1525–
alter idem, n.a1618–
altering, n.?a1425–
altering, adj.?c1425–
alterity, n.a1500–
altern, adj. & adv.1594–
altern, v.1447–

Browse more nearby entries