from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Personal \Per"son*al\ (p[~e]r"s[u^]n*al), a. [L. personalis: cf.
F. personnel.]
1. Pertaining to human beings as distinct from things.
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Every man so termed by way of personal difference.
--Hooker.
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2. Of or pertaining to a particular person; relating to, or
affecting, an individual, or each of many individuals;
peculiar or proper to private concerns; not public or
general; as, personal comfort; personal desire.
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The words are conditional, -- If thou doest well, --
and so personal to Cain. --Locke.
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3. Pertaining to the external or bodily appearance;
corporeal; as, personal charms. --Addison.
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4. Done in person; without the intervention of another.
"Personal communication." --Fabyan.
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The immediate and personal speaking of God. --White.
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5. Relating to an individual, his character, conduct,
motives, or private affairs, in an invidious and offensive
manner; as, personal reflections or remarks.
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6. (Gram.) Denoting person; as, a personal pronoun.
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{Personal action} (Law), a suit or action by which a man
claims a debt or personal duty, or damages in lieu of it;
or wherein he claims satisfaction in damages for an injury
to his person or property, or the specific recovery of
goods or chattels; -- opposed to real action.
{Personal equation}. (Astron.) See under {Equation}.
{Personal estate} or {Personal property} (Law), movables;
chattels; -- opposed to {real estate} or {real property}.
It usually consists of things temporary and movable,
including all subjects of property not of a freehold
nature.
{Personal identity} (Metaph.), the persistent and continuous
unity of the individual person, which is attested by
consciousness.
{Personal pronoun} (Gram.), one of the pronouns {I}, {thou},
{he}, {she}, {it}, and their plurals.
{Personal representatives} (Law), the executors or
administrators of a person deceased.
{Personal rights}, rights appertaining to the person; as, the
rights of a personal security, personal liberty, and
private property.
{Personal tithes}. See under {Tithe}.
{Personal verb} (Gram.), a verb which is modified or
inflected to correspond with the three persons.
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from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
PERSONAL PROPERTY. The right or interest which a man has in things personal;
it consists of things temporary and movable, and includes all subjects of
property not of a freehold nature, nor descendable to the heirs at law.
Things of a movable nature, when a right can be had in them, are personal
property, but some things movable are not the subject of property; as light
and air. Under the term personal property, is also included some property
which is in its nature immovable, distinguished by the name of chattels
real, as an estate for years; and fixtures (q.v.) are sometimes classed
among personal property. A crop growing in the ground is considered personal
property. so far as not to be considered an interest in land, under the
statute of frauds. 11 East, 362; 1 Shopl. 337; 5 B & C. 829; 10 Ad. & E.
753; 9 B. & C. 561; sed vide 9 B. & C. 561.
2. It is a general principle of American law, that stock held in
corporations, is to be considered as personal property; Walk. Introd. 211; 4
Dane's Ab. 670; Sull. on Land Tit. 71; 1 Hill. Ab. 18; though it was held
that such stock was real estate; 2 Conn. R. 567; but, this being found
inconvenient, the law was changed by the legislature.
3. Property in personal chattels is either absolute or qualified;
absolute, when the owner has a complete title and full dominion over it;
qualified, when he has a temporary or special interest, liable to be totally
divested on the happening of some particular event. 2 Kent, Com. 281.
4. Considered in relation to its use, personal property is either in
possession, that is, in the actual enjoyment of the owner, or, in action,
that is, not in his possession, but in the possession of another, and
recoverable by action.
5. Title to personal property is acquired. 1st. By original acquisition
by occupancy; as, by capture in war; by finding a lost thing. 2d. By
original acquisition; by accession. 3d. By original acquisition, by
intellectual labor; as, copyrights and patents for inventions. 4th. IV
transfer, which is by act of law. 1. By forfeiture. 2. By judgment. 3. By
insolvency. 4. By intestacy. 5th. By transfer, by act of the party. 1.
Gifts. 2. Sale. Vide, generally, 16 Vin. Ab. 335; 8 Com. Dig. 474; Id. 562;
1 Supp. to Ves. Jr. 49, 121, 160, 198, 255, 368, 9, 399, 412, 478; 2 Ibid.
10, 40, 129, 290, 291, 341; 1 Vern. 3, 170, 412; 2 Salk. 449; 2 Ves. Jr. 59,
336, 176, 261, 271, 683; 7 Ves. 453. See Pew; Property; Real property.