Wordwyrt

personally

/ˈpɜːsənəli/PUR-suh-nuh-lee
/ˈpɝsənəli/PUR-suh-nuh-lee

Meaningas a person; in person

Common meaning: for one's own part

Other meanings: directly, not through others

‘through’ + ‘sound, noise’ → personally

Journey through time

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swan-‘resound, sound’source
  2. Latinper- + sonare‘through + sound, noise; to ring out’source
  3. Latinpersonare‘to sound through’source
  4. Middle Englishpersonsource
  5. Englishperson‘a human being’
  6. Englishformed in English from personpersonal‘to do with one particular person’
  7. Englishformed in English from personalpersonally‘for one's own part’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from personal + -ly.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), PERSON, p.436 · scan

Roots

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app