Alpha stage software — under active development. Data may be incomplete or change without notice.

↑↓ navigate open esc close
US /ˈpɜɹ.sən/ UK /ˈpɜː.sən/
Freq #371

Meanings

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Thesaurus

Forms persons
Derived forms adpersonambulancepersonanchorpersonantipersonantpersonape-personassemblypersonbarpersonbasepersonbellpersonboatpersonbondsperson

Common collocations

Etymology

From Middle English persoun, personne et al., from Anglo-Norman parsone, persoun et al. (Old French persone (“human being”), French personne), and its source Latin persōna (“mask used by actor; role, part, character”), perhaps a loanword from Etruscan 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 (φersu, “mask”). In this sense, displaced native man, which came to mean primarily "adult male" in Middle English; see Old English mann. Doublet of parson and persona.

View etymology graph ->

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

What is this about?

Choose the closest match.

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.