personify

Definitions

person + -ify (to make) = 'to make into a person' — to hand an abstract idea a face and a will. Literature does it to ideas ('Death came knocking'); everyday speech extends it to 'be the human form of a quality' ('she personifies patience').

Why It Means This

Both meanings are one gesture: giving something a persōna. When a poet writes 'Justice is blind,' an abstraction puts on a human mask. When you say 'he personifies greed,' a real human becomes the living face of an idea. Same move, opposite directions — idea→person, or person→embodiment-of-idea.

Common Collocations

• 1.personify evil邪恶的化身
• 2.personify a quality体现某种品质
• 3.seem to personify仿佛是……的化身
• 4.personify the spirit of体现……的精神

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Poets often personify the wind as a restless wanderer.

• 2.

  For our team, she personifies dedication and hard work.

• 3.

  The statue personifies justice as a blindfolded woman.

Synonym Comparison