person
/ˈpɜɹ.sən/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.55 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
noun
An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
noun
An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
noun
An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
noun
An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
noun
An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
noun
An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being.
Example Sentences
- "1784, William Jones, The Description and Use of a New Portable Orrery, &c., PREFACE THE favourable reception the Orrery has met with from Perſons of the firſt diſtinction, and from Gentlemen and Ladies in general, has induced me to add to it ſeveral new improvements in order to give it a degree of Perfection; and diſtinguiſh it from others; which by Piracy, or Imitation, may be introduced to the Public."
- "“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”"
- "Each person is unique, both mentally and physically."
- "[…]his firſt appearance vpon the Stage, in his new perſon of a Sycophant or Iugler[…]"
- "How different […]is the same man from himself, as he sustains the person of a magistrate, and […]that of a friend!"
- "[…]to beare rule, which was thy part / And perſon, had’ſt thou known thy ſelf aright."
Etymology
Etymology tree Latin persōna Anglo-Norman persouneder. Middle English persoun English person 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. Displaced native Old English hād (“person, individual”). Doublet of parson and persona.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: persoun, parsone, persōna, 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɜɹ.sən/
- British English: /ˈpɜː.sən/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Law.
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Appendix:Roget MICRA thesaurus/Class III § 372. Mankind
Appendix:Roget MICRA thesaurus/Class I § 3. Substantiality