The Princeton University Dictionary is NOT the be all and end all of dictionaries… Since when was the English Language formed by a university founded in 1746, in America of all places - not England…
The word Person, from the Online Etymology Dictionary is:
“early 13c., from
O.Fr. persone “human being” (12c., Fr. personne), from L. persona “human being,” originally “character in a drama, mask,” possibly borrowed from Etruscan phersu “mask.” This may be related to Gk. Persephone. The use of -person to replace -man in compounds and avoid alleged sexist connotations is first recorded 1971 (in chairperson). In person “by bodily presence” is from 1560s.”
Whilst it originated in the French Word for “Human Being” it is previously borrowed from the words for Character and Mask…
Now, the context of a word specifies it’s meaning…
When we say “person” in Drama, we are typically speaking of the persona or character being portrayed. (
etymonline.com)
When we say “person” in a court of law, or general useage, we mean a Human being (princeton)
When we say “person” in a
PHILOSOPHY FORUM, we use the definition, which is: any human or non-human who is selfconscious or rational being (
dictionary.com)
When we say Person in Theology we mean any of the hypostases / modes in the trinity. (
dictionary.com)
Now there is no need for further
pettifogging, it is clear that as this is a philosophy forum, we take the meaning of the word
person in the philosophic sence, and from
dictionary.com that is “a self conscious or rational being”…
