person
person
Pronunciation
General American English: /ˈpɝːsən/ or /ˈpɝsn̩/
British English (Received Pronunciation): /ˈpɜːsən/
Here's a breakdown of the sounds in each syllable (using the General American pronunciation as an example):
First Syllable: /pɝː/
/p/: A voiceless bilabial plosive, similar to the "p" in "pen."
/ɝː/: A stressed rhotic vowel, like the "ur" in "bird" or "fur." This sound includes an "r" quality.
Second Syllable: /sən/ or /sn̩/
/s/: A voiceless alveolar fricative, like the "s" in "sit."
/ən/ (or /n̩/): This represents a syllabic "n," where the "n" itself forms the syllable without a separate vowel sound, or a schwa followed by an "n." It's similar to the "un" in "button" or "sudden."
Word Form Variations
Noun Forms:
Singular: person (e.g., "One person walked into the room.")
Plural:
people: This is the most common and generally preferred plural in everyday language (e.g., "Many people gathered for the event.").
persons: This plural is more formal, often used in legal, technical, or specific contexts where the individuality of each person is emphasized (e.g., "The occupancy limit is 75 persons," or "missing persons report"). While not wrong, it can sound stilted in casual conversation.
peoples: This plural is used to refer to distinct groups or nations (e.g., "The indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest").
Possessive Forms:
Singular Possessive: person's (e.g., "That is one person's opinion.")
Plural Possessive:
people's: (e.g., "The people's choice awards.")
persons': (e.g., "The suspect confessed to the theft of several persons' social security numbers.")
peoples': (e.g., "The festival celebrates many different peoples' cultures.")
Related Adjectives:
personal: (e.g., "This is a personal matter.")
personable: (e.g., "He is a very personable individual.")
Related Verbs:
personalize: (e.g., "You can personalize your new phone.")
personify: (e.g., "She personifies grace and elegance.")
Related Nouns (derived from "person"):
personality: (e.g., "She has a strong personality.")
personification: (e.g., "The statue was a personification of justice.")
personnel: (e.g., "The company is hiring new personnel.")
personage: (e.g., "A distinguished personage visited the city.")
persona: (e.g., "He adopted a new persona for his stage performance.")
Combining Forms (often to avoid gender-specific terms):
-person: Used as a suffix to create gender-neutral job titles (e.g., chairperson, salesperson, spokesperson, waitperson).
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
I. Noun
Definition: A unique and individual human being, considered as a distinct entity with consciousness, a unique identity, and the capacity for thought, emotion, and action.
Synonyms: individual, human, being, soul, character, individual, mortal.
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for "person" as a human being, but concepts like "thing," "object," "animal" or "inanimate object" can be considered in certain philosophical or categorical contrasts.)
Definition: In grammar, a category that distinguishes the speaker (first person), the addressee (second person), or someone or something else (third person).
Synonyms: (No direct synonyms in this grammatical sense.)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms in this grammatical sense.)
Definition: (Legal context) A legal entity, which can be an individual (natural person) or a group/organization (juristic person or artificial person), recognized by law as having rights and responsibilities.
Synonyms: entity, party, subject (legal context), agent.
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms in this legal context.)
II. Adjective (Derived from "Person" - as in "personal," "personable")
Personal
Definition: Of, concerning, or belonging to a particular person rather than to anyone else; private and intimate.
Synonyms: private, individual, exclusive, intimate, confidential, subjective.
Antonyms: public, general, impersonal, universal, shared.
Personable
Definition: Having a pleasant and agreeable appearance and manner; easy to get along with.
Synonyms: charming, amiable, likable, friendly, agreeable, pleasant, congenial.
Antonyms: unpleasant, disagreeable, unlikable, off-putting, unfriendly, aloof.
III. Verb (Derived from "Person" - as in "personalize," "personify")
Personalize
Definition: To make or adapt something to suit a particular person's tastes, preferences, or needs; to make it unique to an individual.
Synonyms: customize, tailor, adapt, individualize, custom-make.
Antonyms: generalize, standardize, depersonalize, homogenize.
Personify
Definition: To represent an abstract quality or concept as a human being or to attribute human qualities to something inanimate.
Synonyms: embody, epitomize, incarnate, symbolize, represent, typify.
Antonyms: dehumanize (in the sense of stripping human qualities), abstract (in the sense of removing from concrete representation).
IV. Adverb (Derived from "Person" - as in "personally")
Personally
Definition: In a personal manner; by oneself; for oneself; or from a personal point of view.
Synonyms: privately, individually, subjectively, intimately, in person, for my part.
Antonyms: publicly, generally, objectively, impersonally, officially.
Examples of Use
Books:
"Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me." (Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851)
"Every person in this room has a story, and every story deserves to be heard." (Often attributed to various inspirational speakers, reflecting a common sentiment found in self-help and motivational literature.)
Newspapers:
"Police are appealing for information after a missing person was reported in the city center." (The Standard)
"The local council announced new measures to protect the privacy of personal data collected from residents." (Daily Nation)
Online Publications:
"How to Master the Art of Personal Branding in the Digital Age." (Forbes.com)
"Experts discuss whether artificial intelligence can truly possess consciousness and become a 'person' in a philosophical sense." (Wired.com)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television Series: "In a dramatic turn, the lead character struggles with his dual persona, trying to balance his public image with his private life." (Observed in a review of a popular Netflix series)
Film: "The film explores the profound impact of one extraordinary person on the lives of an entire community." (From a movie review on Rotten Tomatoes)
Video Game: "Players can personalize their avatars with a wide array of clothing and accessories." (Promotional material for a new RPG)
Music/Song Lyrics: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." (Part of the traditional folk song "You Are My Sunshine," popularized by many artists over decades) - Here, "you" refers to a specific person.
General Public Discourse:
"Every person deserves access to quality education and healthcare, regardless of their background." (Common statement in public advocacy and political speeches)
"I personally believe that we need to invest more in sustainable energy solutions." (Heard in a radio talk show)
"She is such a personable individual; everyone loves working with her." (Conversational use among colleagues)
"The company is looking for a new spokesperson to represent their brand." (Discussed in a business meeting)
10 Quotes Using Person
"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." (Albert Einstein)
"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." (Bill Wilson or unknown attribution)
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." (Barack Obama)
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool." (Richard P. Feynman)
"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." (Jackie Robinson) - Note: While Jackie Robinson uses "lives," the core meaning emphasizes the singular "life" of a person.
"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." (Sam Keen)
"Never judge someone's character based on the words of another. Instead, study the motives behind the words of the person casting the bad judgment." (Suzy Kassem)
"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." (Oscar Wilde)
"The most important person is always the person with whom you are, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?" (Leo Tolstoy)
"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month." (Theodore Roosevelt)
Etymology
The word "person" has a really interesting journey through languages!
It comes to us from Middle English (around the 13th century) as "persoun" or "personne." This was borrowed from Old French "persone," which also meant "human being" or "anyone."
But the story goes back even further to Latin, where the word was "persōna." This Latin word originally referred to a mask worn by actors in ancient Roman plays. Think of those large masks that would have a mouth opening for the actor's voice to "sound through" (some theories connect it to Latin per-sonare, meaning "to sound through").
From this idea of a mask, "persōna" started to mean the character or role that an actor played. Over time, it broadened to mean a "personage" or "individual human being" – essentially, the unique "role" or "character" an individual plays in life.
Interestingly, some linguists also suggest that the Latin "persōna" might actually be borrowed from an even older language called Etruscan, specifically from their word "phersu," which also meant "mask." The Etruscans were a civilization in Italy before the Romans.
So, in short, "person" started out referring to a mask or an actor's role, then evolved to mean a distinct individual human being with their own character and identity.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Person
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using the word "person":
In person: Physically present; face-to-face.
To each person his/her own: Everyone has their own preferences.
A person of interest: Someone who is relevant to an investigation, but not necessarily a suspect.
A people person: Someone who is good at interacting with others; sociable.
Be your own person: To be independent and make your own decisions, not easily influenced by others.
No two people are alike: Emphasizing the uniqueness of individuals.
Different strokes for different folks: (Using "folks" as a synonym for people/persons) Different things appeal to different individuals.
A man of the people / Woman of the people: Someone who understands and represents the common individual.
The third person singular: A grammatical term referring to "he," "she," "it."
A public person/figure: Someone who is well-known to the general public.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of person from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
