Main Entry:

per·son

Pronunciation:

\ˈpər-s^ən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French persone, from Latin persona actor's mask, character in a play, person, probably from Etruscan phersu mask, from Greek prosōpa, plural of prosōpon face, mask — more at prosopopoeia

Date:

13th century

1: human, individual —sometimes used in combination especially by those who prefer to avoid man in compounds applicable to both sexes <chairperson><spokesperson>2: a character or part in or as if in a play : guise3 a: one of the three modes of being in the Trinitarian Godhead as understood by Christians b: the unitary personality of Christ that unites the divine and human natures4 aarchaic : bodily appearance b: the body of a human being ; also : the body and clothing <unlawful search of the person>5: the personality of a human being : self6: one (as a human being, a partnership, or a corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties7: reference of a segment of discourse to the speaker, to one spoken to, or to one spoken of as indicated by means of certain pronouns or in many languages by verb inflection

— per·son·hood \-ˌhu̇d\ noun

— in person

: in one's bodily presence <the movie star appeared in person>