"P" Word Origins

Persia

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Persis, itself from Old Persian Pārsa, the name of the region and its people.

Persian

Middle English

From Middle English Persien, from Middle French persien, from Italian persiano, from Medieval Latin Persiānus, from Persia (itself from Persēs/Persa (“Persian man”) [from Ancient Greek Πέρσης (Pérsēs), itself from Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 (p-a-r-s /⁠Pārsa⁠/, “Persian”)] + -ia (suffix forming country names)) + -iānus. Equivalent to Pers(ia) + -ian. Compare Early Classical Persian پارس (pārs) or modern Iranian Persian فارس (fârs), where the shift p > f.

persimmon

Origin

From a Powhatan (Native American) word meaning "dried fruit."

persist

Latin

From Latin persistere, "to stand firm," from per- ("thoroughly") + sistere ("to stand").

persistence

Middle French

From Middle French persistance, from persistant, from Latin persistēns, from persistō. By surface analysis, persist + -ence.

persistency

Origin

From persist + -ency.

persistent

Latin

From Latin persistentem, present participle of persistō (“continue steadfastly”). By surface analysis, persist + -ent.

persnickety

Origin

From Scots persnickety, whence also pernickety. More at pernickety.

person

Latin

From Latin persona, originally "a mask worn by an actor," later "a character" and then "an individual human being."

persona

Latin

From Latin persona, "mask" or "character," possibly borrowed originally from Etruscan.

persona non grata

Latin

Latin, literally 'person not pleasing', from persona 'person', non 'not' and grata, feminine of gratus 'pleasing, welcome'.

personable

Middle English

From Middle English personable, built from "person" plus the suffix "-able."

personage

Old French

From Old French personage, built from "person" plus the suffix "-age."

personal

Late Latin

From Late Latin personalis, "of a person," from persona ("person").

personalia

Origin

Borrowed from Latin persōnālia.

personality

Latin

From Latin personalitas, built from persona ("person") plus the suffix "-itas."

personally

Middle English

From Middle English personally, personely, personallich, personaliche, equivalent to personal + -ly.

personate

Origin

From Latin persōnātus.

personification

Origin

Built from "personify" plus the suffix "-ification."

personify

Origin

From person + -ify, after French personnifier.

personnel

French

Borrowed directly from French personnel, "staff."

perspective

Latin

From Latin perspectivus, "of sight," from perspicere ("to look through"), from per- ("through") + specere ("to look at").

perspectograph

Origin

From Latin perspectus, past participle of perspicere (“to look through”) + -graph.

perspicacious

Origin

First attested 1548, from Late Latin perspicācitās (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspiciō (“look through”), from per- (“through”) + speciō (“look at”). See also perspective.

perspicacity

Origin

From Middle French perspicacité (whence -acity) or directly from Latin perspicācitās (“sharpsightedness, discrimination”), from perspicāx (“sharp-sighted”), from perspicio, from per- + specio, "see through (something)".

perspicuity

Origin

Borrowed from Late Latin perspicuitās (“evidentness”, “self-evidency”, literally “transparency”, “clarity”, “lucidity”), from Latin perspicuus (“clear”, “transparent”; “evident”); compare perspicacity and the French perspicuité. By surface analysis, perspicuous + -ity.

perspicuous

Origin

From Latin perspicuus, in turn from perspiciō (“see through”).

perspiration

Latin

From Latin perspirare, "to breathe through," from per- ("through") + spirare ("to breathe").

perspire

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French perspirer and its source Latin perspīrō (“to breathe everywhere, blow constantly”), from per (“through”) + spīrō (“to breathe”); see spirit.

persuade

Latin

From Latin persuadere, "to persuade" — built from per- ("thoroughly") and suadere ("to advise, urge"), the same root behind "suave" and "dissuade."

persuader

Origin

From persuade + -er.

persuasion

Latin

From Latin persuasio, from persuadere ("to persuade") — see "persuade."

persuasive

Latin

From Latin persuadere ("to persuade") plus the adjective ending -ive.

pert

Latin

From Middle English pert, a shortened form of apert ("open, evident"), ultimately from Latin apertus.

pertain

Latin

From Old French partenir/pertenir, from Latin pertinere ("to extend to, belong to"), from per- ("through") + tenere ("to hold").

Perth

Origin

From Pictish *ᚚᚓᚏᚈ (pert) meaning “wood, copse, thicket”, related to Welsh perth and perhaps Proto-Celtic *kʷerxtā (from Proto-Indo-European *pérkʷus (“oak”).

pertinacious

Origin

From pertinace + -ious, from Old French pertinace, from Latin pertinax, from per- (“very”) + tenax (“tenacious”).

pertinacity

Origin

From Middle French pertinacité, from Old French pertinace (“obstinate, stubborn”).

pertinence

Origin

Borrowed from French pertinence.

pertinent

Latin

From Old French pertinent and Latin pertinens, the present participle of pertinere ("to pertain, be relevant to").

perturb

Origin

From Late Middle English perturben (“to disturb (someone) mentally, disquiet; to cause disorder to (something), confuse; to hinder (something)”), from Old French perturber, and from its etymon Latin perturbāre, the present active infinitive of perturbō (“to confuse; to alarm, disturb, trouble, perturb”), from per- (intensifying prefix) + turbō (“to agitate, disturb, unsettle, perturb; to upset”) (from turba (“disorder, disturbance, turmoil”) (possibly from Ancient Greek τῠ́ρβη (tŭ́rbē, “confusion, disorder, tumult”), either from Pre-Greek, or Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to agitate, stir up; to urge on, propel”)) + -ō (suffix forming infinitives of regular first-conjugation verbs)).

perturbation

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French perturbation, from Old French perturbacion, from Latin perturbatio.

Peru

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Perú, possibly from the personal name Birú, or from the Quechua pelu (“river”).

peruke

Origin

From French perruque. Doublet of periwig.

Perumal

Origin

Borrowed from Tamil பெருமாள் (perumāḷ).

perusal

English

From the verb peruse, of uncertain earlier origin, plus the noun suffix -al.

peruse

Medieval Latin

Origin debated — likely from Anglo-Norman peruser ("to use up") or Medieval Latin perusitare ("wear out"), later narrowing to mean "examine closely."

Peruvian

Latin

From Peru + -v- + -ian, or from Latin Peruvia.