dramatis personae

[ dram-uh-tis per-soh-nee, drah-muh- ]

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the characters in a play.
2. (used with a singular verb) a list of the characters preceding the text of a play.

dramatis personae

/ ˈdrɑːmətɪs pəˈsəʊnaɪ /

plural noun

1. the characters or a list of characters in a play or story
2. the main personalities in any situation or event

dramatis personae

1. A Latin expression for “cast of characters .” It means literally “the persons of the drama” and is occasionally used at the beginning of scripts for plays as the title of the list of characters.

Notes

In general, the “dramatis personae” are the participants in an event: “Winston Churchill , Roosevelt , and Joseph Stalin were the dramatis personae at the Yalta Conference.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of dramatis personae¹

1720–30; < Latin: characters of the play

Word History and Origins

Origin of dramatis personae¹

C18: from New Latin

Related Words

• list
• troupe