noun

1. a human being, esp. as distinguished from a thing or lower animal; individual man, woman, or child: now usually pluralized as people, which formerly was used only to indicate an indefinite number of persons
2. Now Rare an individual regarded slightingly, as one of a lower status
3. 1. a living human body
   2. bodily form or appearance to be neat about one's person
4. personality; self; being
5. Gram.
   1. a characteristic, as of pronouns and verbs, indicating whether a given utterance refers to the speaker(s), the one(s) spoken to, or the one(s) spoken about; also, an analytic category based on this characteristic
   2. the form a verb takes to indicate this characteristic
6. Archaic a role in a play; character
7. Law any individual or incorporated group having certain legal rights and responsibilities
8. Christian Theol. any of the three modes of being (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) in the Trinity

Etymology: ME persone < OFr < L persona, lit., actor's face mask, hence a character, person, prob. < Etr phersu, mask