self-contained en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈsɛlf.kənˌteɪnd/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- Latin contineōder. Latin continērelbor. Old French contenirbor. Middle English conteinen English contain Old English -ed Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz Old English -od Middle English -ed English -ed English contained English self-contained From self- + contained.
Meanings
-
Not requiring external or additional support; complete in itself.
a self-contained apartment
Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
Each of these can be further sub-divided into self-contained divisions; the technical research department, for example, includes Engineering and Chemical Divisions.
1961 February, R. K. Evans, “The role of research on British Railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 92:Whereas the history of the London Underground is generally very fiddly, the history of the Waterloo & City is blessedly self-contained and simple.
2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 109:Merseyrail is, in effect, a self-contained network with eight termini. At six of these [...], passengers can transfer onto national rail network services.
2020 December 16, Chris Howe, “Merseyrail sets its sights on network expansion”, in Rail, page 34:All these were based broadly on the management framework of the old companies, except that the former Southern and North Eastern Areas of the old L.N.E.R. became separate management units, while the former L.M.S.R. and L.N.E.R. lines north of the Border were fused into a self-contained Scottish Region.
1958 January 14, 'Borderer', “Ten Years of British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 13:The software is self-contained, and doesn't interface with anything except the user.
- (idiomatic) Of a person, wrapped up in oneself; reserved.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more self-contained | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most self-contained | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |