Where does “persoun” come from?
persoun (Middle English) comes from Old French persone, from Medieval Latin persona, 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.
persoun (Middle English): person
Definitions
- person
Ancestry of “persoun”, step by step
persoun traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French persone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | persone | person; individual; rector of a parish; someone;... |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | persona | parson, person; mask; character |
| 3 | Latin | persōna | mask |
| 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 | eye |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ókʷs | eye |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |
via Anglo-Norman parsone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | parsone | — |