Etymology and origin of the French word personnifier
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1674 Boileau More words from the 17th century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin persōna
Etymology tree
Derivations
From the same root
Pronunciation
- /pɛʁ.sɔ.ni.fje/[1]
Forms
personnifier[1] The Académie spelled it personifier in 1694 and has written personnifier since 1718.[2]
Etymology
It is formed from French personne + -ifier, the suffix coming from Latin faciō (“to make, do”).[2][3][4][1][5] The noun comes from Latin persōna, which Bloch and Wartburg call a word of Etruscan origin meaning “theatre mask”.[6]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first found in Boileau in 1674, written personifier, meaning to give a thing the features of a person in words or images.[6][3][4] The TLFi's first record, also from Boileau, is from 1710.[2]
Semantic evolution
The first sense is literary and artistic: to represent something inanimate or abstract with human traits.[2][4] The verb is most common as the past participle used as an adjective, personnifié, said of a quality in relation to the person who has it to the highest degree, as in l'avarice personnifiée;[4][2] Rey dates this to 1757 in Canadian French, and the TLFi to about 1780, in Mme du Deffand.[4][2] From there the verb came to mean showing a quality or a fault in one's person in an exemplary way (1851).[2][4][7]
English personify (1727) may come from the French verb.[8]
Timeline
- 1674 – First record, in Boileau, as personifier.[6][3][4]
- 1694 – The Académie records personifier.[2]
- 1718 – The Académie adopts the spelling personnifier.[2]
- 1727 – English personify is recorded.[8]
- 1757 – Personnifié is used of a quality embodied in a person, in Canadian French.[4]
- 1758 – The noun personnification is recorded.[4]
- 1851 – Delacroix uses the verb for embodying a quality in an exemplary way.[2]
Meanings
Verb
- To represent something abstract or inanimate as a person, to personify: Ce poème personnifie la mer.[7][9][2]
- Of a character in a play or novel, to stand for a vice or virtue, to symbolize: Harpagon personnifie l'avarice.[7][10]
- To show a character trait in one's person in an exemplary way, to embody: Il personnifie le Français moyen.[7][10]
- To be the living image of a country, an age or an idea, to incarnate it.[7][10]
Word family
- personnification
- personnifié
Related words
- personne
- personnage
- Latin persōna
- English personify
References
- ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
- ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
- ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
Cite this entry
“Personnifier.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/personnifier. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·