personification (n.)

"figure of speech or artistic representation in which something inanimate or abstract takes the form of a person," 1755, noun of action from personify. Sense of "embodiment of a quality in a person" is attested from 1807.

also from 1755

Entries linking to personification

personify (v.)

1727 "to attribute personal form to inanimate objects or abstractions" (especially as an artistic or literary technique), from person + -fy or from French personnifier (17c.), from personne. Meaning "to represent, embody" attested from 1806. Related: Personified; personifying.

Trends of personification

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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incarnation

c. 1300, "embodiment of God in the person of Christ," from Old French incarnacion "the Incarnation" (12c.), from Late Latin incarnationem (nominative incarnatio), "act of being made flesh" (used by Church writers especially in reference to God in Christ; source also of Spanish en

malapert

Attested from c. 1300 as the name of the personification of impudence....

Gaia

Earth as a goddess, from Greek Gaia, spouse of Uranus, mother of the Titans, personification of gaia "earth" (as opposed...

nemesis

1570s, Nemesis, "Greek goddess of vengeance, personification of divine wrath," from Greek nemesis "just indignation, righteous...

Eros

god of love, late 14c., from Greek eros (plural erotes), "god or personification of love; (carnal) love," from eran, eramai...

harmony

instrument (12c.), from Latin harmonia, from Greek harmonia "agreement, concord of sounds," also as a proper name, the personification...

Favonius

personification of the west wind in Roman mythology, from Latin Favonius, which de Vaan suggests is cognate with the god-name...

image

c. 1200, "piece of statuary; artificial representation that looks like a person or thing," from Old French image "image, likeness; figure, drawing, portrait; reflection; statue," earlier imagene (11c.), from Latin imaginem (nominative imago) "copy, imitation, likeness; statue, pi

mortal

late 14c., "deadly, destructive to life; causing or threatening death" (of illness, poisons, wounds, etc.); also, of persons or the body, "doomed to die, subject to death;" from Old French mortel "destined to die; deserving of death" and directly from Latin mortalis "subject to d

queen

Middle English quene, "pre-eminent female noble; consort of a king," also "female sovereign, woman ruling in her own right," from Old English cwen "queen, female ruler of a state; woman; wife," from Proto-Germanic *kwoeniz (source also of Old Saxon quan "wife," Old Norse kvaen, G

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updated on April 15, 2020

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Dictionary entries near personification

personalization

personalize

personally

personalty

personhood

personification

personify

personnel

perspective

Perspex

perspicacious