English → Latin
“personal” in Latin
PaulusA cognomen of the Aemilius clan.; Paul (biblical figure).ipsehimself, herself, itself, the very, the actual; specific reference to the chief, the leader, the one, etc., used to distpraesēnspresent, immediate, at hand, existing; prompt; propitiouscōramin person, face to face, personally; publicly, openly, by word of mouthprīvātusapart from the state; unofficial, private; peculiar, special, personal, individual
The English word personal itself goes back to Latin persōna, through persōnālis.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
personal adj.
☞ Personalis and its adverb belong only to the writings of lawyers and grammarians; e.g., beneficium personale (Paullus, Dig.); verbum personale (grammatical); verbum personaliter dicere (grammatical). In all other connections the English word must be expressed by ipse, ipsius, per se (in one’s own person), or by praesens, coram (personally present), or by privatus (relating to one as a private citizen; opposed to publicus), or by circumlocution; e.g., suo nomine aliquem odisse (Caes.), to have no personal grudge against; nullo proprio esse in aliquem odio (Tac.), to have no personal ill-will against. Anybody’s personal character, persona alicujus: to make personal attacks against anybody, in alicujus personam aliquid facere (e.g., in ejus personam multa fecit asperius, Cic., Fam., 6, 6, 10); or in aliquo efficere aliquid (e.g., quid in P. Scipione effecerint): to disregard one’s personal wrongs, omittere privatas offensiones.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for personal?
- The usual Latin words for “personal” are Paulus, ipse, praesēns; also cōram, prīvātus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.