I. ˈpərs( ə )nəl, ˈpə̄s-, ˈpəis- adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French personnel, personel, personal, from Late Latin personalis, from Latin persona person + -alis -al — more at person
1. : of or relating to a particular person : affecting one individual or each of many individuals : peculiar or proper to private concerns : not public or general
personal allegiance
personal baggage
personal correspondence
2.
a. : done in person without the intervention of another : direct from one person to another
a personal inquiry
also : originating in or proceeding from a single person
a personal ultimatum
personal government
b. obsolete : engaged or present in person
c. : carried on between individuals directly
a personal interview
3. : relating to the person or body : bodily
personal appearance
personal liberty
4.
a. : relating to an individual, his character, conduct, motives, or private affairs especially in an invidious and offensive manner
personal reflections
also : relating to oneself
personal vanity
b. : making or given to making personal reflection
very personal in his comments
5.
a. : relating to or characteristic of human beings as distinct from things
b. : rational and self-conscious
a personal God
6. : exclusively for a given individual
a personal letter
7. substandard : personable 1
8. : of, relating to, or constituting personal property
a personal estate
personal interests
— compare real 1a
9.
a. : denoting grammatical person
a personal suffix
b. of a verb : inflected for all three persons — compare impersonal
II. noun
( -s )
: something of which the relation to a human individual is a basic attribute: as
a. personals plural , archaic : personal property : chattels
b.
(1) : a personal remark
(2) : a short newspaper item giving information about the social or other activities of a local person, family, or group
(3) : a short personal or private communication printed in a special column of the classified ads section of a newspaper or periodical — compare agony column
c. archaic : personnel
d. : personal pronoun
e. : a personal foul in a sports contest
III. adverb
substandard : personally