[per.son] n [ME, fr. OF persone, fr. L persona actor's mask, character in a play, person, prob. fr. Etruscan phersu mask, fr. Gk prosopa, pl. of prosopon face, mask--more at prosopopoeia] (13c) 1: human, individual--sometimes used in combination esp. by those who prefer to avoid man in compounds applicable to both sexes "chairperson" "spokesperson"
2: a character or part in or as if in a play: guise 3 a: one of the three modes of being in the Trinitarian Godhead as understood by Christians b: the unitary personality of Christ that unites the divine and human natures
4. a archaic: bodily appearance b: the body of a human being; also: the body and clothing "unlawful search of the ~"
5: the personality of a human being: self
6: one (as a human being, a partnership, or a corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties 7: reference of a segment of discourse to the speaker, to one spoken to, or to one spoken of as indicated by means of certain pronouns or in many languages by verb inflection -- per.son.hood n -- in person : in one's bodily presence