Etymograph

English

impersonal

Impersonal comes from Latin impersōnālis, from persōnālis ‘personal’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- ‘to sound’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘make a noise, sound, resound’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpersonōas persōna‘person’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpersōnālis‘personal’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpersōnālis
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentimpersonnel
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1853impersonal

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘make a noise, sound, resound’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpersonōas persōna‘person’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpersōnālis‘personal’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpersōnālis
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentimpersonnel
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1853impersonal

Earliest quotation: 1853, James Stephen: “The great tragedians of Greece reveal to us their…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- ‘to sound’

sound, swan, unison, sonnet, sone, 11 more

through Latin sonō ‘make a noise, sound, resound’

re, resonance, resonate, resonant, resound, sonorous, consonance, 7 more

through Latin personō ‘person’

parson, 3 more

through Latin persōnālis ‘personal’

personnel, 2 more

Today it means

adj Not personal; not representing a person; not having personality.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- / impersonal

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