Where does “personal” come from?
personal (Middle English) comes from Old French personel, from Latin persōnālis, from Latin persōna, from Etruscan 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖, from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον, from Ancient Greek ὤψ, from Proto-Hellenic ókʷs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ókʷs — to see; eye.
Ancestry of “personal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | personel | personal |
| 2 | Latin | persōnālis | — |
| 3 | Latin | persōna | — |
| 4 | Etruscan | 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 | a mask; a masked individual, often performing in... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πρόσωπον | face, visage, countenance; front; mask |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὤψ | to the eye; in the face; eye |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | ókʷs | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ókʷs | eye |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |
Words derived from “personal”