Personality

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɜː.səˈnæ.lə.tɪ/

Definitions

1. The unique blend of traits, behaviors, and emotional patterns that characterize an individual is often referred to as their identity
2. The specific constellation of cognitive styles, attitudes, and interpersonal behaviors that define how one engages with the world represents their essence
3. The combination of distinguishing traits, emotional patterns, and behavior styles that shape how an individual interacts with others is known as a person's character

Etymology: The idea of a "personality" in the modern sense was once a legal and theological matter before it described a person's temperament. Latin "persōnālitās" was built from "persōnālis" (personal), itself from "persona", originally a theatrical mask. The Middle French form carried the word into English, where it appeared in the late 14th century, and early uses were largely about the quality of being a distinct individual rather than about charm or character. The word's second half, "-ity", is a suffix that turns an adjective into an abstract noun, so "personal" becomes "personality" much as "local" becomes "locality". Over the following centuries the sense narrowed from "the fact of being a particular person" toward the traits that make one person different from another, which is the meaning used today.

Synonyms: character, disposition, temperament

Antonyms: impersonality