personalia
Americanplural noun
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personal belongings.
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biographical data, personal reminiscences, or the like.
He could never keep the personalia out of his essays.
Etymology
Origin of personalia
First recorded in 1860–65; from Late Latin, neuter plural of Latin persōnālis; see person + -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Personalia is the "stuff" of a life — the collection of private papers, cherished belongings, and biographical tidbits that tell a person's unique story. The word personalia comes from the Latin personalis, meaning "of or belonging to a person." A historian studying a famous author might look through personalia such as the author's glasses, handwritten notes, letters, or favorite possessions. You might hear the term used to describe a collection of any personal items, such as those you've stashed in a shoebox for safe keeping. At the end of the school year, your teacher might remind you to clear out all the personalia from your locker.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is, in fact, constructed largely around passages drawn from the Longfellow circle’s journals, correspondence and other personalia.
From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2020
A frequent guest at diplomatic dinners, attractive "Geno" Herrick has amassed a wealth of Washington personalia which she reports in crisp, good-humored style.
From Time Magazine Archive
Frankfurter fancied himself an expert at "personalia," his word for charming, persuading and manipulating others.
From Time Magazine Archive
If the fabrication of fictitious letters and other personalia are remarkable, the character relations are even more so, especially the courteous, humorous, almost tender friendship between the divorced senior Lords.
From Time Magazine Archive
"It is replete with anecdotes and observations relating to the humorous side of life, intimate bits of interesting personalia, and bright and witty chat concerning things in general."
From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume II. (of X.) by Wilder, Marshall Pinckney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
