from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
I \I\ ([imac]), pron. [poss. {My} (m[imac]) or {Mine}
(m[imac]n); object. {Me} (m[=e]). pl. nom. {We} (w[=e]);
poss. {Our} (our) or {Ours} (ourz); object. {Us} ([u^]s).]
[OE. i, ich, ic, AS. ic; akin to OS. & D. ik, OHG. ih, G.
ich, Icel. ek, Dan. jeg, Sw. jag, Goth. ik, OSlav. az', Russ.
ia, W. i, L. ego, Gr. 'egw`, 'egw`n, Skr. aham. [root]179.
Cf. {Egoism}.]
The nominative case of the pronoun of the first person; the
word with which a speaker or writer denotes himself.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
We \We\ (w[=e]), pron.; pl. of I. [Poss. {Our} (our) or {Ours}
(ourz); obj. {Us} ([u^]s). See {I}.] [As. w[=e]; akin to OS.
w[imac], OFries. & LG. wi, D. wij, G. wir, Icel. v[=e]r, Sw.
& Dan. vi, Goth. weis, Skr. vayam. [root]190.]
The plural nominative case of the pronoun of the first
person; the word with which a person in speaking or writing
denotes a number or company of which he is one, as the
subject of an action expressed by a verb.
[1913 Webster]
Note: We is frequently used to express men in general,
including the speaker. We is also often used by
individuals, as authors, editors, etc., in speaking of
themselves, in order to avoid the appearance of egotism
in the too frequent repetition of the pronoun I. The
plural style is also in use among kings and other
sovereigns, and is said to have been begun by King John
of England. Before that time, monarchs used the
singular number in their edicts. The German and the
French sovereigns followed the example of King John in
a. d. 1200.
[1913 Webster]