Personhood Meaning
/ˈpɝ.sən.hʊd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe state or period of being a person.
nounThe status of being considered as a person.
Sentence Examples
The law should recognize the full personhood of all individuals.
Arguments were made in court regarding corporate personhood.
The court debated the legal definition of human personhood.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The legal debate about the ____ of a fetus begins at conception.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The debate over ____ raises complex questions about when legal rights and protections should begin.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Latin persōna Anglo-Norman persouneder. Middle English persoun English person Proto-Indo-European *keyt-der. Proto-Germanic *haiduzder. Proto-West Germanic *-haiduder. Old English -hād Middle English -hede English -hood English personhood From person + -hood.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[Animals] are conscious; they are subjectively aware; they have interests; they can suffer. No characteristic other than sentience is required for personhood."
— 2008, Gary L. Francione, Animals as Persons:
"These examples reveal that the shared personhood of hunters and prey was mutually comprehensible, such that hunters could see the animalness of themselves and the humanness of prey, and prey could see the humanness of themselves […]"
— 2014, Christopher Watts, Relational Archaeologies: Humans, Animals, Things, page 101:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The legal debate about the ____ of a fetus begins at conception.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The debate over ____ raises complex questions about when legal rights and protections should begin.