Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “persōn” come from?

persōn (Middle High German) comes from Latin persōna, from Etruscan 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖, from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον, from Ancient Greek ὤψ, from Proto-Hellenic ókʷs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ókʷs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ekʷ- — to see; eye.

Ancestry of “persōn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpersōna—
2Etruscan𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖a mask; a masked individual, often performing in...
3Ancient Greekπρόσωπονface, visage, countenance; front; mask
4Ancient Greekὤψto the eye; in the face; eye
5Proto-Hellenicókʷs—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ókʷseye
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ekʷ-to see; eye

Words derived from “persōn”

  • interpersonell
  • personell
  • Person
  • Mehrpersonenhaushalt
  • Einpersonenhaushalt
  • מאַנספּאַרשוין
  • פּאַרשוין
  • perzōna
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ekʷ- →