c. 1200, persoun, "an individual, a human being," from Old French persone "human being, anyone, person" (12c., Modern French personne) and directly from Latin persona "human being, person, personage; a part in a drama, assumed character," originally "a mask, a false face," such as those of wood or clay, covering the whole head, worn by the actors in later Roman theater. OED offers the general 19c. explanation of persona as "related to" Latin personare "to sound through" (i.e. the mask as something spoken through and perhaps amplifying the voice), "but the long o makes a difficulty ...." Klein and Barnhart say it is possibly borrowed from Etruscan phersu "mask." De Vaan has no entry for it.

From mid-13c. as "one of the persons of the Trinity," a theological use in Church Latin of the classical word. Meanings "one's physical being, the living body" and "external appearance" are from late 14c. In grammar, "one of the relations which a subject may have to a verb," from 1510s. In legal use, "corporate body or corporation other than the state and having rights and duties before the law," 15c., short for person aggregate (c. 1400), person corporate (mid-15c.).

The use of -person to replace -man in compounds for the sake of gender neutrality or to avoid allegations of sexism is recorded by 1971 (in chairperson). In person "by bodily presence" is from 1560s. Person-to-person (adj.) is attested by 1919, originally of telephone calls; the phrase itself was in use by 1880 in reference to the spreading of diseases.

"formally wedded, united in wedlock, having a spouse," late 14c., past-participle adjective from marry (v.).

"person who has married a second time," 1650s, from digamy "second marriage" (1630s), from Latin digamia, from Greek digamos, from di- "twice (see di- (1)) + gamos "marriage" (see -gamy). Related: Digamous.

fem. proper name, from Hebrew be'ulah "married woman," fem. past participle of ba'al "he married" (see baal).

1811, in botany, from homogamy + -ous. Greek homogamos meant "married to the same wife; having married sisters."

c. 1200, "a married person, either one of a married pair, but especially a married woman in relation to her husband," also "Christ or God as the spiritual husband of the soul, the church, etc.," also "marriage, the wedded state," from Old French spous (fem. spouse) "marriage partner," variant of espous/espouse (Modern French épous/épouse), from Latin sponsus "bridegroom" (fem. sponsa "bride"), literally "betrothed," from masc. and fem. past participle of spondere "to bind oneself, promise solemnly," from PIE *spend- "to make an offering, perform a rite" (see sponsor (n.)). Spouse-breach (early 13c.) was an old name for "adultery."

late 14c., matrone, "married woman," usually one of rank or social respectability and mature years (old enough to be the mother of a family, whether actually so or not), from Old French matrone "married woman; elderly lady; patroness; midwife," and directly from Latin mātrona "married woman, wife, matron," from māter (genitive mātris) "mother" (see mother (n.1)).

Also (15c.) "a married female saint." Sense of "female manager of a school, head nurse in a hospital, etc." is recorded by 1550s.

"one recently married," 1650s; see neo- "new" + -gamy "marriage."

1610s, "practice of marrying only once in a lifetime," from French monogamie, from Late Latin monogamia, from Greek monogamia "single marriage," from monogamos "marrying only once," from monos "single, alone" (from PIE root *men- (4) "small, isolated") + gamos "marriage" (see gamete). As "condition of being married to only one person at a time," by 1708.

"of or pertaining to a husband, or to marriage as it pertains to the husband," hence, more broadly, "pertaining to or relating to marriage, matrimonial," c. 1600, from French maritale and directly from Latin maritalis "of or belonging to married people," from maritus "married man, husband," which is of uncertain origin (see marry (v.)).