Persoun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of a human being or individual man or woman ; a parish priest who serves a local church community ; the physical body or outward shape of a human
2. Old form for an individual human ; a clergyman in charge of a parish ; the bodily frame or outward look of a man or woman
3. A Middle English variant meaning a single human creature ; a rector or vicar of a parish ; the bodily shape or external appearance of someone

Etymology: Chaucer's pilgrims include a figure simply called "the Persoun," because in Middle English "persoun" could mean either a human being or a parish priest. The clerical sense likely came from the Latin phrase "persona ecclesiae," the "person of the church," meaning the individual who held a parish's benefice and so represented the institution. The root is Latin "persona," which originally meant a theatrical mask and then the character the mask represented. It passed into Old French as "persone," and the "-oun" ending in Chaucer's spelling reflects that French influence. The Latin origin of "persona" is often traced to Etruscan "phersu," a masked figure, though this connection is uncertain. "Person" and "parson" are the same word that split apart. The general sense of a human being took over "person," while "parson" kept the priestly sense and later became the standard term for a parish clergyman.