# alter ego
## English
### Etymology

From Latin alter ego (literally “other me”).

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈɔːl.təɹ iːɡəʊ/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈɔl.tɚ iɡoʊ/
    Audio (US):(file)

### Noun

alter ego (plural alter egos)
* An individual's alternate personality or persona; another self.
    Clark Kent's coworkers finally discovered his alter ego, Superman.
** 1897, Mary H. Kingsley, Travels in West Africa, page 538:[…] a belief in the possibility of a man possessing an alter ego in the form of some animal such as a crocodile or a hippopotamus. It is believed that such a person's life is bound up with that of the animal to such an extent that, whatever affects the one produces a corresponding impression upon the other, and that if one dies the other must speedily do so too.
** 1938, Robert Berkov, “China's Chiang”, in Strong Man of China: The Story of Chiang Kai-shek‎, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, page 1:As one commentator has remarked, all the confusing old three-syllable names that used to index Chinese politics can now be forgotten — the names and their bearers have ceased to be of the slightest importance. In their place stands one man — a small, frail, volatile but tremendously energetic man — who oddly enough has become the alter ego of that powerful, sprawling, sleepy giant that is China.
** 2012 May 1, Ben Child, “Mark Ruffalo gets green light to play Hulk in six-movie deal”, in the Guardian‎:Ruffalo's turn as Bruce Banner and his angry green alter-ego has been widely praised. Avengers Assemble (titled The Avengers outside the UK) is on course to be one of the year's biggest films and has received strong reviews.
* A very close and intimate friend.
** 1974 April 13, “Sex Isn't Everything! (personal advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, page 10:GWM, 5'10", 175, 40, non-smoker, MCC-er. Good build. Int. in classical music, books, travel. Seeks alter ego with own peace for honest relationship.
* (law) A corporation used by a person to conduct personal business in an attempt to shield himself or herself from personal liability, and which a court may penetrate by "piercing the corporate veil" to impose liability on the person when they commit fraud or injustice.

#### Synonyms

* alter idem

#### Derived terms

* alter (“one identity of a person with dissociative identity disorder”, noun)
* alteregoism

#### Related terms

* alteregoism
* alter-egotism

#### See also

* double life

### References

* ↑ The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations by Jon R. Stone
* ↑ “alter ego”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

## Danish
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin alter ego.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈalˀdʌ ˈeːɡo]

### Noun

alter ego n (singular definite alter egoet, plural indefinite alter egoer)
* alter ego
    Synonyms: andet jeg, stedfortræder

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “alter ego” in Den Danske Ordbog

## Finnish
### Etymology

From Latin alter ego.

### Noun

alter ego
* alter ego (somebody's alternate personality or persona)

#### Declension

Possessive forms of alter ego (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
alter egoni
alter egoni
accusative
nom.
alter egoni
alter egoni
gen.
alter egoni
genitive
alter egoni
alter egojeni
partitive
alter egoani
alter egojani
inessive
alter egossani
alter egoissani
elative
alter egostani
alter egoistani
illative
alter egooni
alter egoihini
adessive
alter egollani
alter egoillani
ablative
alter egoltani
alter egoiltani
allative
alter egolleni
alter egoilleni
essive
alter egonani
alter egoinani
translative
alter egokseni
alter egoikseni
abessive
alter egottani
alter egoittani
instructive
comitative
—alter egoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
alter egosi
alter egosi
accusative
nom.
alter egosi
alter egosi
gen.
alter egosi
genitive
alter egosi
alter egojesi
partitive
alter egoasi
alter egojasi
inessive
alter egossasi
alter egoissasi
elative
alter egostasi
alter egoistasi
illative
alter egoosi
alter egoihisi
adessive
alter egollasi
alter egoillasi
ablative
alter egoltasi
alter egoiltasi
allative
alter egollesi
alter egoillesi
essive
alter egonasi
alter egoinasi
translative
alter egoksesi
alter egoiksesi
abessive
alter egottasi
alter egoittasi
instructive
comitative
—alter egoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
alter egomme
alter egomme
accusative
nom.
alter egomme
alter egomme
gen.
alter egomme
genitive
alter egomme
alter egojemme
partitive
alter egoamme
alter egojamme
inessive
alter egossamme
alter egoissamme
elative
alter egostamme
alter egoistamme
illative
alter egoomme
alter egoihimme
adessive
alter egollamme
alter egoillamme
ablative
alter egoltamme
alter egoiltamme
allative
alter egollemme
alter egoillemme
essive
alter egonamme
alter egoinamme
translative
alter egoksemme
alter egoiksemme
abessive
alter egottamme
alter egoittamme
instructive
comitative
—alter egoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
alter egonne
alter egonne
accusative
nom.
alter egonne
alter egonne
gen.
alter egonne
genitive
alter egonne
alter egojenne
partitive
alter egoanne
alter egojanne
inessive
alter egossanne
alter egoissanne
elative
alter egostanne
alter egoistanne
illative
alter egoonne
alter egoihinne
adessive
alter egollanne
alter egoillanne
ablative
alter egoltanne
alter egoiltanne
allative
alter egollenne
alter egoillenne
essive
alter egonanne
alter egoinanne
translative
alter egoksenne
alter egoiksenne
abessive
alter egottanne
alter egoittanne
instructive
comitative
—alter egoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
alter egonsa
alter egonsa
accusative
nom.
alter egonsa
alter egonsa
gen.
alter egonsa
genitive
alter egonsa
alter egojensa
partitive
alter egoaan alter egoansa
alter egojaan alter egojansa
inessive
alter egossaan alter egossansa
alter egoissaan alter egoissansa
elative
alter egostaan alter egostansa
alter egoistaan alter egoistansa
illative
alter egoonsa
alter egoihinsa
adessive
alter egollaan alter egollansa
alter egoillaan alter egoillansa
ablative
alter egoltaan alter egoltansa
alter egoiltaan alter egoiltansa
allative
alter egolleen alter egollensa
alter egoilleen alter egoillensa
essive
alter egonaan alter egonansa
alter egoinaan alter egoinansa
translative
alter egokseen alter egoksensa
alter egoikseen alter egoiksensa
abessive
alter egottaan alter egottansa
alter egoittaan alter egoittansa
instructive
comitative
—alter egoineen alter egoinensa :

#### Synonyms

* toinen minä

### Further reading

* “alter ego”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## Polish
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin alter egō̆.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈal.tɛr ˈɛ.ɡɔ/
* Audio:(file)
* Syllabification: al‧ter e‧go

### Noun

alter ego n (indeclinable)
* (psychology, psychiatry) alter ego (individual's alternate personality or persona; another self)
    Synonym: drugie ja

### Further reading

* alter ego in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* alter ego in Polish dictionaries at PWN
* alter ego in PWN's encyclopedia

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈaw.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu/ [ˈaʊ̯.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu]
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈaw.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu/ [ˈaʊ̯.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡu]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈaw.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡo/ [ˈaʊ̯.teɾ ˈɛ.ɡo]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈal.tɛɾ ˈɛ.ɡu/ [ˈaɫ.tɛɾ ˈɛ.ɣu]

### Noun

alter ego m (plural alter egos)
* alter ego (alternate personality or persona)
    Synonym: outro eu

#### Related terms

* outro

## Spanish
### Alternative forms

* álter ego (superseded)
* alterego

### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin alter ego (“other self”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˌalteɾ ˈeɡo/ [ˌal̪.t̪eɾ ˈe.ɣ̞o]
** Syllabification: al‧ter e‧go
* IPA: /alteˈɾeɡo/ [al̪.t̪eˈɾe.ɣ̞o]
** Rhymes: -eɡo

### Noun

alter ego m (plural alter egos)
* alter ego (alternate personality or persona)
    Synonym: otro yo

#### Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

### Further reading

* “alter ego”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10