(=hardly ever) eats breakfast. \ She seldom, if ever, reads a book. (=She reads rarely, or perhaps not at all.)  $ \rightarrow $ see NEVER (USAGE), RARELY (USAGE)
select/s'left/ v [T(for, from)] rather fml to take as best, most suitable etc, from a group; choose: She selected a diamond ring from the collection. | These oranges have been carefully selected. | [+obj+to-v] He was selected to play for England.
select² adj fml apprec 1 carefully chosen and limited to a small number of the highest quality: A select group were invited to the wedding reception. 2 limited to the use of people of high social class or great wealth; EXCLUSIVE: This is a very select area; you have to be rich to live here.
Select Committee n 1 a committee of the British Parliament which is responsible for looking at a particular area of government activity, such as trade, employment, or defence. Its members can try to improve laws, check the work done in government departments, and give advice to the government 2 a committee in the US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES whose members have special knowledge of a particular subject, such as education or technology. For a limited time they examine plans and BILLS (=suggested new laws) relating to their subject, and then give advice or suggest changes. → compare STANDING COMMITTEE
se·lec·tion /sˈleɪkʃən/ n 1 [U] the act of selecting or the fact of being selected: His selection as a presidential candidate was quite unexpected. 2 [C(from)] something or someone selected: The orchestra played selections from Gilbert and Sullivan. 3 [C(of) usually sing.] a collection of things of one kind, such as goods for sale; range: The shop has a fine selection of cheeses. → see also NATURAL SELECTION
se·lec·tive /səˈlektrɪv/ adj 1 careful in choosing: He's always very selective when he buys his suits. 2 having an effect only on certain things; not general: You need a selective weed killer that won't damage your garden flowers. | selective strike action ︷ly adv: They quoted from the report selectively in order to support their argument. ︸ness n [U] ︸tivity /sɪˈlektrɪv/
se·lec·tor /sə'lekter/ n a person or instrument that selects, especially a member of a committee choosing a sports team
se·le·ni·um /səˈliːniəm/ n [U] a poisonous ELEMENT (=a simple substance) that is not a metal and is used especially in light-sensitive electrical instruments and as a colouring material
Sel·es, Mon·i·ca /'selez, 'monikəl'mɑː-/ (1973-) a US tennis player, born in Yugoslavia, who became the world's number one female player in 1991. She is known especially for being attacked by a man with a knife during a tennis game in Germany in 1993. As a result of this, she was unable to play in competitions for the next three years.
self /self/ n pl. selves /selvz/ 1 [C;U] the whole being of a person, taking into account their nature, character, abilities etc: He put his whole self into the job, working night and day. | Knowledge of self increases as one gets older. 2 [C] a particular or typical part of one's nature: I'm feeling better but I'm still not quite my old self. (=as I was before my illness) | Under a stressful cross-examination they began to reveal their true selves. | her better self (=the best part of her nature) 3 [U] one's own advantage or profit: She always thinks of others, never of self. | It's always the same with him - self, self, self (=he is SELFISH) 4 [U] (used in especially business writing) himself/herself; oneself
Self, Will (1961-) a British writer of SATIRICAL NOVELS and short stories who also writes REVIEWS for newspapers. His books include Cock and Bull, Great Apes, and Dr Mukti and Other Tales of Woe. In 1997, The Observer newspaper asked Self to write about John Major's CAMPAIGN for the elections, but later SACKed him for taking drugs on the Prime Minister's plane.
self- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
,self-abne'gation n [U] ABNEGATION
,self-ab'sorbed adj paying all one's attention to oneself and one's own affairs —-sorption n [U]
self-acting adj working by itself; AUTOMATIC
self-ad'hesive adj (of e.g. an envelope) having a sticky surface so that it does not need liquid or glue to fix it closed or fix it to something else
self-ad'dressed adj addressed for return to the sender: Please enclose a self-addressed envelope with your order. → see also S.A.E.
self-ap'pointed adj usually derog chosen by oneself for a job or position, unasked and usually unwanted: Why should this self-appointed guardian of public morals say what we can and cannot watch on television?
,self-as'sembly adj (that can be) put together by oneself from parts bought in a shop: self-assembly furniture
,self-as'sertive adj forceful in making others take notice of oneself or in claiming things for oneself —~ness, -tion n [U]
,self-as'sured adj sure of one's own abilities; confident
——surance n [U]
self-build, self-build /'selfbɪld/ n [U] the activity of building your own house rather than paying a professional builder to do it for you
,self-catering adj especially BrE (óf a holiday or holiday lodging) in which one cooks one's own meals
self-centred adj interested only in oneself; SELFISH
—~ness n [U]
,self-certification n [U] BrE the act of signing a form or note to say that you have been ill, to explain why you have not been at work or school for a short time
self-collected adj SELF-POSSESSED
,self-com'mand n [U] fml for SELF-CONTROL
,self-com'posed adj having one's emotions under control; calm
,self-confessed adj [A] admitted by oneself to be the stated usually bad kind of person: a self-confessed liar → see also CONFESSED
self-confident adj usually apprec sure of one's own power to succeed: You couldn't help admiring the self-confident way she stood up to speak to the big crowd. —ly adv —dence n [U]
,self-congratulation n [U] usu derog giving oneself (too) much recognition for one's good fortune or achievements: an orgy of self-congratulation —self-congratulatory adj: a smug, self-congratulatory smile
,self-'conscious adj 1 nervous and uncomfortable about oneself as seen by others: I could never be an actor; I'm too self-conscious. \ The young girl felt very self-conscious about the large spot on her chin. 2 having or expressing knowledge or understanding about oneself or itself; CONSCIOUS: I found the film's artistic camerawork rather too self-conscious. (=it did not seem natural or effortless) —~ly adv —~ness n [U]
self-contained adj 1 complete in itself; independent: a self-contained flat with its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom etc 2 (of a person) habitually not showing feelings or depending on others' friendship
self-contradictory adj containing two opposite parts or statements which cannot both be true
,self-control n [U] control over one's feelings; power to hold back the expression of strong feelings: I must admit I nearly lost my self-control and hit him. —-trolled adj
,self-deception n the act of deceiving oneself; the state of being deceived by oneself (e.g. about one's reasons or character) —self-deceptive adj
self-defeating adj having the effect of preventing its own success: Their attempt to prevent opposition by closing down the newspapers was self-defeating - the opposition only increased.
self-defence n [U] the act or skill of defending oneself, one's actions, one's rights etc. Self-defence classes for women have become popular in recent years because of the number of attacks on women: the art of self-defence (= BOXING, JUDO etc) | He shot the man in self-defence. (=only to protect himself)
self-de'nial n [U] fmi the act or habit of holding oneself back from doing enjoyable things or of not satisfying one's own desires, usually done for religious or moral reasons —nying adj
self-des·truct /,self dI'strakt/ v [1] especially AmE to destroy itself: If the missile malfunctions, it will self-destruct. —self-destruct adj [A] a self-destruct mechanism