Persia 1036
continue steadily and with determination in spite of difficulties: If you persevere (with the work), you'll succeed in the end. | a persevering student → compare PERSIST
Per·sia /'p3:ʃə, -ʒə||'p3:rʒə/ the name used for Iran from ancient times until the early 20th century
Per·sian¹ /'p3:ʃən, -ʒən||'p3:rʒən/ n 1 [U] the language of Iran; FARSI 2 [C] someone from Iran
Persian² adj from or connected with Iran, which used to be known as Persia: a Persian carpet
Persian 'carpet n a very high quality carpet from Iran, made by hand from wool or silk in traditional patterns
Persian 'cat n a cat with long silky hair, a big body, and short legs, which originally came from Persia
Persian 'Gulf, The see the GULF
per·si·flage /'p3:sɪflɑ:ʒ||'p3:r-/ n [U] fml or pomp light amusing talk, especially concerned with laughing at the small weaknesses of others
Per·sil /'p3:sɪl||'p3:r-/ trademark a type of powder or liquid for washing clothes, sold in the UK and other countries
per·sim·mon /pə'sɪmən||pər-/ n an orange-coloured soft fruit
per·sist /pə'sɪst||pər-/ v [I] 1 [(in, with)] to continue in a course of action or way of behaving, firmly and perhaps unreasonably, in spite of opposition or warning: If you persist in causing trouble, the company may be forced to dismiss you. | Must you persist in misunderstanding me? (=you seem to be intentionally trying not to understand me) 2 to continue to exist: The bad weather will persist all over the country. | Despite official denials, the rumours persisted. → compare PERSEVERE
per·sis·tent /pə'sɪstənt||pər-/ adj often derog 1 continuing in a course of action or way of behaving, especially in spite of opposition or warning: his persistent attempts to annoy me | I kept telling him I wasn't interested in his offer, but he was most persistent. | a persistent offender 2 continuing to exist, happen, or appear for a long time, especially for longer than is usual or desirable: a persistent cough | persistent rumours → compare INSISTENT —ly adv —tence n [U]
per,sistent 'vegetative ,state n medical a condition in which someone's brain is so damaged that they cannot move or talk, and their condition is unlikely to improve
per·snick·e·ty /pə'snɪkəti||pər-/ adj AmE for PERNICKETY
per·son /'p3:sən||'p3:r-/ n 1 [C] pl. people /'pi:pl/ a human being considered as having a character of his or her own, or as being different from all others: I like her as a person, but not as a secretary. | Would you call a week-old baby a person? | You're just the person I wanted to see. | She's a difficult person to deal with. | Our new neighbours seem nice people. 2 [C] especially fml or law (pl. persons) someone unknown or not named: Any person wishing to lodge a complaint should contact the manager in writing. | The police have a department dealing with missing persons. | murder by a person or persons unknown 3 [C usually sing.] (pl. persons) fml someone's body or outward appearance, sometimes including their clothes: I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 4 [C;U] (pl. persons) tech (in grammar) any of the three special forms of verbs or PRONOUNS that show the speaker (first person), the one who is being spoken to (second person), or the one that is being spoken about (third person): The third person singular of the verb 'go' is 'goes'. | 'I', 'me', and 'we' are all first person pronouns. 5 in person personally; oneself: I can't attend the meeting in person, but I'm sending someone to speak for me. 6 in the person of fml namely; he or she is: The club has a faithful supporter in the person of Jim Brown. 7 -person someone who does the stated thing or has the stated job: These days it is fashionable to say 'spokesperson' rather than 'spokesman' or 'spokeswoman'. | a chairperson | a salesperson → see also PERSON-TO-PERSON
USAGE 1 The usual plural of person is people: Only one person /A lot of people replied to our advert. Persons is formal, and is often used in official writings, notices etc: He was murdered by a person or persons unknown. 2 Many people, especially women, do not like the use of words such as chairman or spokesman to refer to both sexes. They also dislike the use of these words to refer to women. They prefer to use words which can refer to both men and women: She/he is our new chairperson. | She/he agreed to act as spokesperson.
per·so·na /pə'səʊnə||pər-/ n (in PSYCHOLOGY) the outward character a person takes on in order to persuade other people that he or she is a particular type of person → see also PERSONA NON GRATA
per·son·a·ble /'p3:sənəbəl||'p3:r-/ adj attractive in appearance or character: a personable young man —bly adv
per·son·age /'p3:sənɪdʒ||'p3:r-/ n fml or pomp 1 a famous or important person 2 a character in a play or book, or in history
per·son·al¹ /'p3:sənəl||'p3:r-/ adj 1 [no comp.] concerning, belonging to, or for the use of a particular person; private: the President's personal bodyguard | a letter marked 'Personal' | I'd like to speak to Mr Davis about a personal matter. | If you want my personal opinion, I think it's a load of rubbish. | On his release the police returned all his personal effects. (=small articles belonging to him) | It was a simple recipe, but he had added one or two personal touches to make the meal more interesting. 2 [no comp.] done or made directly by a particular person, not by a representative: The manager will give you his personal attention, Madam. | He made a personal appeal to the kidnappers to return his child. | I have a personal stake in his success. 3 derog (making remarks) directed against (the appearance or character of) a particular person; rude: Don't be so personal. | They made some highly personal remarks about the size of his nose. 4 [A no comp.] fml of the body or appearance: Personal hygiene is important for health. → compare IMPERSONAL; see also PERSONALLY
personal² n AmE a short personal advertisement placed in a newspaper or magazine by someone who wishes to find a friend or lover → see PERSONAL COLUMN
personal al'lowance BrE || exemption AmE — n the income below a set limit on which one does not pay INCOME TAX. It is different for e.g. a married or single person.
personal as'sistant n → see PA
'personal ,column n a part of a newspaper that gives or asks for messages, information etc, about particular people. People can also advertise in the personal column to find a person to start a relationship with: to put an ad in the personal column
,personal com'puter n a PC¹
,personal 'equity ,plan n → see PEP
,personal es'tate n [U] law PERSONAL PROPERTY
,personal 'hygiene n [U] fml keeping one's own body clean: Personal hygiene is important for good health.
,personal identifi'cation ,number n → see PIN
per·son·al·i·ties /ˌp3:sə'nælətiz||ˌp3:r-/ n [P] BrE unkind or rude remarks directed against someone's appearance, character etc: Let's keep personalities out of the conversation, shall we!
per·son·al·i·ty /ˌp3:sə'næləti||ˌp3:r-/ n 1 [C;U] the whole nature or character of a particular person: He has a strong/dynamic/weak personality. | The drug changed her whole personality. → compare CHARACTER 2 [C;U] (a person with) forceful, lively, and usually attractive qualities of character: She has a lot of/She is quite a personality. 3 [C] a person who is well known to the public or to people connected with some particular activity: a television personality
person'ality cult n usually derog the officially encouraged practice of giving too great admiration, praise, love etc, to a particular person, especially a political leader: a personality cult surrounding the Prime Minister
per·son·al·ize also -ise BrE /'p3:sənəlaɪz||'p3:r-/ v [T] 1 to make personal, especially by adding one's address or (the first letters of) one's name: personalized handkerchiefs/stationery 2 often derog to change so as to be concerned with personal matters or relationships rather than with facts: Let's not personalize this argument. —ization /ˌp3:sənəlaɪ'zeɪʃən||ˌp3:rsənələ-/ n [U]
per·son·al·ly /'p3:sənəli||'p3:r-/ adv 1 directly and not through someone acting for one: The director is personally in charge of all the arrangements. 2 speaking for oneself only; to give one's own opinion: She said she didn't like it, but personally I thought it was very good. 3 as a person; with