DictionaryRoot: persona
Latin
persona
mask, role, or person
Forms
- persona
- person- — Used before other endings.
Origin
A Latin theatrical and social word, often linked to an Etruscan source; the derivation is uncertain.
Note
The traditional explanation from “sounding through” a mask is not a secure etymology.
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noun
personality
pur-suh-NAL-uh-tee/ˌpɜːrsəˈnæləti/
The distinctive character of a person, place, or thing.
Etymology
The pieces originally expressed the quality or fact of being a person. The meaning narrowed to the distinctive character of an individual—the traits that make people recognizably themselves.