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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Word “Personality” Come From and How Did the Word “Persona” Originate?

Where Did the Word “Personality” Come From and How Did the Word “Persona” Originate?

May 13, 2020 by Karen Hill

In the Greek and Roman theatres, actors wore masks to indicate the different characters they were playing.

The Latin word for mask, persona, came to mean a personality other than that of the actor.

Today, persona, or personality, still refers to the mask a person wears to hide his or her true character while playing a role for the outside world.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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