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personnage

Etymology and origin of the French word personnage

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1223, Gautier de Coinci
Ultimate origin
Latin (persōna)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin persona
French personne
French personnage

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pɛʁ.sɔ.naʒ/[1]

Forms

personnage m (plural personnages)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French personne + -age,[2][3][4][1][5]; Littré gives as its model Late Latin personaticum.[6] persōna (“actor's mask; character; person”) is, according to Bloch and Wartburg, of Etruscan origin.[5]

Littré notes that although the Latin word, meaning “mask”, belongs first to the theatre, the first sense French took from it was that of a person in the Church.[6] Bloch and Wartburg compare English parsonage “benefice” and English parson, a frequent Old French sense of personne kept in Breton person.[5] Compare Old Occitan personatge, Spanish personaje and Italian personaggio.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gautier de Coinci (about 1223) uses it in canon law for an important religious position; in 1226 it is the extent of a benefice, and in 1250 a church dignitary.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

From church dignity the word passed to any person of standing (Henri Estienne, 1566).[2][7] In the theatre it is a fictional person acting in a play (1384), then a dramatic performance on historical or imaginary subjects (1461), and in the 15th century jeux de personnages were plays.[2][6] Jouer le personnage meant to put on a part to deceive (Quinze joies de mariage, second quarter of the 15th century), and Commynes (about 1500) has it for the part one plays in life.[2]

It was applied to the persons of a narrative in Montesquieu (1754) and recorded as personnage de roman by the Académie in 1878.[2] It has also named an image or statue representing a person (1422), and personnage allégorique is in Du Bos (1719).[2] Bloch and Wartburg date the modern sense of a person to 1403.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1223 – An important religious position, Gautier de Coinci.[2]
  • 1250 – A church dignitary.[2]
  • 1384 – A character in a play.[2]
  • 1422 – An image of a person.[2]
  • c. 1500 – The part one plays in life, Commynes.[2]
  • 1566 – A person of standing, Henri Estienne.[2]
  • 1754 – A character in a narrative, Montesquieu.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person of importance, a personage, a dignitary: un grand personnage, personnage historique.[7][2]
  2. (familiar) A person, an individual, often odd or remarkable.[1][7]
  3. A character in a play, film, novel or other work.[1][2]
  4. The part a person plays in life; a role adopted to impress or deceive: jouer un personnage.[2][4]
  5. (art) A human figure in a painting or sculpture.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Personnage.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/personnage. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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