Where does “impersonal” come from?
Impersonal comes from French impersonnel, from Latin impersonalis, composed of Latin in- (not) and -alis (adjective suffix), with in ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne (not).
impersonal (English): Not personal; not representing a person; not...
Definitions
- Not personal; not representing a person; not...
Ancestry of “impersonal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | impersonnel | impersonal; impersonal, banal, nondescript |
| 2 | Latin | impersōnālis | impersonal |
| 3 | Latin | persōnālis | personal; of or belonging to a person |
| 4 | Latin | persōna | mask |
| 5 | Etruscan | 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 | a mask; a masked individual, often performing in... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πρόσωπον | face, visage, countenance; front; mask |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὤψ | to the eye; in the face; eye |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | ókʷs | eye |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ókʷs | eye |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |