Where does “personification” come from?
Personification derives from French personnification, from French personne meaning "person," ultimately from Latin facio meaning "to make" and Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- meaning "to put or place."
personification (English): A person, thing or name typifying a certain...
Definitions
- A person, thing or name typifying a certain...
Ancestry of “personification”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | personify | To be an example of; to have all the attributes... |
| 2 | English | Person | An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being |
| 3 | Middle English | persoun | person |
| 4 | Old French | persone | person; individual; rector of a parish; someone;... |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | persona | parson, person; mask; character |
| 6 | Latin | persōna | mask |
| 7 | Etruscan | 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 | a mask; a masked individual, often performing in... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | πρόσωπον | face, visage, countenance; front; mask |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ὤψ | to the eye; in the face; eye |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | ókʷs | eye |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ókʷs | eye |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |