Etymologically
Log in

impersonation

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the English word impersonation

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1589 Puttenham, Arte of English Poesie More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origin
Latin persona

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ɪmˌpɜːs(ə)nˈeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]
  • US: /ɪmˌpɝːs(ə)nˈeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English im- + personation,[2] although Etymonline and the Shorter Oxford take it as a noun of action from impersonate,[3][4] which Etymonline dates from the 1620s.[3] The OED compares Medieval Latin impersonatio, recorded in a British source of the 12th century.[2] The verb is built on Latin in- (“into”) and persona (“person”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The representing of an abstract quality as a person; personification: 1589, in the index of Puttenham's Arte of English Poesie, "Prosopopeia, or the false impersonation".[2]

Semantic evolution

In 1797 the word was also used of a person or thing seen as the embodiment of a quality or idea.[2] The sense of pretending to be someone else, for entertainment or for fraud, is recorded from 1792, at first especially of acting a role in a play.[2] Etymonline dates the sense "personification" to 1800 and "an acting of a part or character" to 1825,[3] and the Shorter Oxford dates the word only to the early 19th century.[4]

Timeline

  • 1589 – personification.[2]
  • 1792 – the act of pretending to be another person; acting a role.[2] Etymonline dates the sense to 1825.[3]
  • 1797 – the embodiment of a quality or idea.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of pretending to be another person, for entertainment or to deceive; imitation of someone's voice and manner: He was charged with impersonation of a police officer.[5][2][4]
  2. An instance of this, especially a comic imitation: her impersonation of the headmaster.[4][2]
  3. Personification; the embodiment of a quality or idea.[2][4]
  • impersonate
  • impersonator
  • personate
  • personation
  • person

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Impersonation.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/impersonation. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·