personal

[pur-suh-nl] /ˈpɜr sə nl/
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or coming as from a particular person; individual; private:
a personal opinion.
2.
relating to, directed to, or intended for a particular person: a personal favor; one's personal life; a letter marked “Personal.”.
3.
intended for use by one person:
a personal car.
4.
referring or directed to a particular person in a disparaging or offensive sense or manner, usually involving character, behavior, appearance, etc.:
personal remarks.
5.
making personal remarks or attacks:
to become personal in a dispute.
6.
done, carried out, held, etc., in person:
a personal interview.
7.
pertaining to or characteristic of a person or self-conscious being:
That is my personal belief.
8.
of the nature of an individual rational being.
9.
pertaining to the body, clothing, or appearance:
personal cleanliness.
10.
provided for one's discretionary use:
Employees are allowed 15 vacation days and two personal days.
11.
Grammar.
  1. noting person:
    In Latin portō “I carry,” -ō is a personal ending.
  2. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the personal pronoun.
12.
Law. of or pertaining to personal property:
personal interests.
noun
13.
Journalism.
  1. a short news paragraph in a newspaper concerning a particular person, as one who is socially prominent, or a group of particular persons who are socially prominent.
  2. a brief, private notice in a newspaper or magazine, often addressed to a particular person and typically bearing an abbreviated salutation and signature to preserve its confidentiality, usually printed in a special part of the classified advertising section.
  3. a similar notice placed by a person seeking companionship, a spouse, etc.
  4. Usually, personals. a column, page, or section of a newspaper, magazine, etc., featuring such notices or items.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Late Latin persōnālis. See person, -al1
Related forms
personalness, noun
hyperpersonal, adjective
hyperpersonally, adverb
multipersonal, adjective
nonpersonal, adjective
nonpersonally, adverb
quasi-personal, adjective
quasi-personally, adverb
superpersonal, adjective
superpersonally, adverb
unpersonal, adjective
unpersonally, adverb
Can be confused
personal, personnel (see usage note at personnel)
Examples from the web for personal
  • His personal effects were scattered and sealed under lock and key at private residences.
  • Many religious-studies professors consider personal references to one's own faith to be out of place in an academic context.
  • Bubble cars were built to provide cheap personal transport.
  • Have students describe in their personal journals what they saw in the photographs.
  • But these are largely personal emotions and it's the individual's responsibility to manage them.
  • There are personal notes, too; the family memories and feelings that shape an observer's perspective.
  • Is the public ready to know personal genetic information?
  • I'm not the only one who obsesses on personal safety.
  • Make a porch a personal resort in the suburbs.
  • Ed Roberts, the maker of the world's first personal computer, died yesterday at the age of 68.
British Dictionary definitions for personal

personal

/ˈpɜːsənəl/
adjective
1.
of or relating to the private aspects of a person's life: personal letters, a personal question
2.
(prenominal) of or relating to a person's body, its care, or its appearance: personal hygiene, great personal beauty
3.
belonging to or intended for a particular person and no-one else: as a personal favour, for your personal use
4.
(prenominal) undertaken by an individual himself: a personal appearance by a celebrity
5.
referring to, concerning, or involving a person's individual personality, intimate affairs, etc, esp in an offensive way: personal remarks, don't be so personal
6.
having the attributes of an individual conscious being: a personal God
7.
of or arising from the personality: personal magnetism
8.
of, relating to, or denoting grammatical person
9.
(law) of or relating to movable property, such as money Compare real1 (sense 8)
noun
10.
(law) an item of movable property
Word Origin and History for personal
adj.

late 14c., "pertaining to the self," from Old French personal (12c., Modern French personnel), from Late Latin personalis "pertaining to a person," from Latin persona (see person). Meaning "aimed at some particular person" (usually in a hostile manner) first attested 1610s. The noun sense of "newspaper item about private matters" is attested from 1888. As "a classified ad addressed to an individual," it is recorded from 1861. Personal computer is from 1976.