/,p3:si'kju:J'n; NAmE ,p3:rs-/ noun [U, C]: the victims of religious persecution

persecution complex noun a type of mental illness in which sb believes that other people are trying to harm them

per-se-cu-tor /'p3:sikju:ta(r); NAmE ‘p3irs-/ noun a person who treats another person or group of people in a cruel and unfair way iilF#; per-se-ver-ance /,p3:si‘vi0rans; NAmE ,p3:rsa'vir-/ noun [U] (approving) the quality of continuing to try to achieve a particular aim despite difficulties  AHA

: They showed great perseverance in the face of difficulty.         0 The only

way to improve is through hard work and dogged perse­verance.       

A&0

per-se-vere /,p3:si'via(r); NAmE ,p3:rsa'vir/ verb [V] ~ (in sth/in doing sth) |         ~ (with sth/sb) (approving) to

continue trying to do or achieve sth despite difficulties M W; Jfc IM A: Despite a number of setbacks, they persevered in their attempts to fly around the world in a balloon.

o She persevered with her violin lessons.      A f§

41 A #1 ^ o o You have to persevere with difficult students.

perse-veri ng /,p3:si'viarir); NAmE ,p3:rsa'virirj/ adj. [usually before noun] (approving) showing determination to achieve a particular aim despite difficulties M$jA$£

W; AHA&W

Persian /'p3:Jn; -3n; NAmE 'p3:r3n/ noun 1 [C] a person from ancient Persia, or modern Persia, now called Iran ij£$TA 2 (also Farsi) [u] the official language of Iran3 [C] = Persian cat ► Per-sian adj.

.Persian 'carpet (also .Persian 'rug) noun a carpet of traditional design from the Near East, made by hand from silk or wool

.Persian 'cat (also Persian) noun a breed of cat with long hair, short legs and a round flat face persi flage /'p3:sifla:3; NAmE 'p3:rs-/ noun [U] (formal) comments and jokes in which people laugh at each other in a fairly unkind but not serious way

persim mon /pa'siman; NAmE par's-/ noun a sweet tropical fruit that looks like a large orange tomato A — picture o page Ri8 — see also sharon fruit persist /pa'sist; NAmE par's-/ verb 1 ~ (in sth/in doing sth) | ~ (with sth) to continue to do sth despite difficulties or opposition, in a way that can seem unreasonable ffi $  [V] Why do you

persist in blaming yourself for what happened?     A

a £ A W # 7G & 7 ilk S M ? 0 she persisted in her search for the truth.        o He persisted

with his questioning. itfel'n] AAif-o o [V speech] So, did you^gree or not?’ he persisted. “ UP&# |W| M. 7 $£#?

| rJ if 0 2 [V] to continue to exist

If the symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

persist ence /pa'sistans; NAmE par’s-/ noun [u] 1 the fact of continuing to try to do sth despite difficulties, especially when other people are against you and think that you are being annoying or unreasonable MI#;

M A #: His persistence was finally rewarded when the insurance company agreed to pay for the damage.

or

was her sheer persistence that wore them down in the end.       2 the state

of continuing to exist for a long period of time fE.; £|t#: the persistence of unemployment in the 1970s and 1980s * 20 70 AftfH 80

persist ent /pa'sistant; NAmE par's-/ adj. 1 determined to do sth despite difficulties, especially when other people are against you and think that you are being annoying or unreasonable #1 # W; A H A W; M I# A W: How do you deal with persistent salesmen who won’t take no for an answer? #: & & Xt# ffi> M

o a persistent offender (= a person who continues to commit crimes after they have been caught and punished) 1S2B 2 continuing for

a long period of time without interruption, or repeated frequently, especially in a way that is annoying and cannot be stopped *£W;         EEd

unrelenting : persistent rain Pfl ffi ^ % 0 a persistent cough A®r W per sist ent ly adv.: They have persistently denied claims of illegal dealing, fife ffT —

Wi&J&o 0 persistently high interest rates

s^atww

per sistent .vegetative 'state noun (medical IS) a condition in which a person’s body is kept working by medical means but the person shows no sign of brain activity     MA4A&

persnickety /pa'smkati; NAmE par's-/ adj. (NAmE)

= PERNICKETY

per son On /'p3isn; NAmE 'p3irsn/ noun (pi. people /'piipl/ or, especially in formal use, IE & ill # ff per­sons)

1 a human as an individual A; A A: What sort of person would do a thing like that? A %? O He’s a fascinating person.     O

What is she like as a person? M W A cm A W ? o He’s just the person we need for the job.  Wii

W Ac 0 1 had a letter from the people who used to live next door.       7&A W4PI!if W — it

j@0 o I’m not really a city person (= I don’t really like cities). p A — AIM#Jfc&A&fg W A„ — see also people person    Use everyone or everybody

instead of ‘all people’. pJ fj). everyone lie everybody, all people „       2 (formal or disapproving) a human, espe­

cially one who is not identified A; ^£A: A certain person (= somebody that I do not wish to name) told me about it.    0 The price is $40 per

person. A#A 40 tEo o This vehicle is licensed to carry 4 persons. (= in a notice)         4 Ao O (low ^)

The verdict was murder by a person or persons unknown.

Aa£'A*&     -see also VIP

3 -person (in compounds fife M A i^) a person working in the area of business mentioned; a person concerned with the thing mentioned ■••X# (

\t        ) ftJA; A^: a salesperson ftfgM 0 a spokes­

person tsA 4 (grammar i§&) any of the three classes of personal pronouns. The first person (I/we) refers to the person(s) speaking; the second person (you) refers to the person(s) spoken to; the third person (he/she/it/ they) refers to the person(s) or thing(s) spoken about.

I/we ^i£i£A, irAt you jfn/f A, |HAI he/she/it/they ^ ^ PJ ft A M ® ) ITimi about/on your ‘person if you have or carry sth about/on your person, you carry it about with you, for example in your pocket         #±#in

person if you do sth in person, you go somewhere and do it yourself, instead of doing it by letter, asking sb else to do it, etc. ^ i ; MM in the person of sb (formal) in the form or shape ofsblil^A^JJ^^;

Help arrived in the person of his mother. A — more at respecter

persona /pa'sauna; NAmE par'souna/ noun (pi. person­ae /-ni:; -nai/ or per-so-nas) (formal) the aspects of a person’s character that they show to other people, especially when their real character is different $1; {g %; A ffi A : His public persona is quite different from the family man described in the book.

—see also drama­tis PERSONAE

person-able /'p3:sanabl; NAmE 'p3irs-/ adj. (of a person A) attractive to other people because of having a pleasant appearance and character

person-age /'p3isamd3; NAmE 'p3:rs-/ noun (formal) an important or famous person HA; £ A : a royal personage I^HA

person al /'P3:s0nl; NAmE'p3:rs-/ adj.

► YOUR OWN | B 1 [only before noun] your own; not belonging to or connected with anyone else A A (ft; % AW: personal effects/belongings/possessions fiAtl on / M A / M o personal details (= your name, age, etc.) AAl^WH O Qf course, this is just a personal opinion.       , i^RJlAA^JEo o Coogan has run a