personalia

American  

[pur-suh-ney-lee-uh, -neyl-yuh] / ˌpɜr səˈneɪ li ə, -ˈneɪl yə /

plural noun

1. personal belongings.

2. biographical data, personal reminiscences, or the like.

   He could never keep the personalia out of his essays.

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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

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

He is able to give to the abstract personalia of this theater a local habitation and a name�a habitation so truly seen in detail that it becomes more real than the town's tax rolls.

From Time Magazine Archive

Frankfurter fancied himself an expert at "personalia," his word for charming, persuading and manipulating others.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

But even in the matter of personalia Mr. Cunninghame Graham tells us more vital things in a page of his introduction than Mr. Compton-Rickett scatters through a chapter.

From The Art of Letters by Lynd, Robert