persona: Meaning and Definition of

per•so•na

Pronunciation: (pur-sō'nu), [key]
— pl. -nae -nas.
  1. a person.
  2. the characters in a play, novel, etc.
  3. the narrator of or a character in a literary work, sometimes identified with the author.
  4. (in the psychology of C. G. Jung) the mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality of the individual; the public personality (contrasted with anima).
  5. a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity; personal image; public role.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: