persona

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin persōna (“mask; character”), of uncertain origin. Suggested to be from Etruscan 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 (φersu, “mask; masked individual; actor”), which could be a loan from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον (prósōpon, “face; appearance; mask used in ancient theatre to denote a character or, more generally, a social role”). Doublet of person and parson.

noun

1. A social role.
2. A character played by an actor.
3. (psychology) The mask or appearance one presents to the world.
   He keeps his online persona completely separate from his real-world one.
4. (marketing, user experience) An imaginary person representing a particular type of client or customer, considered when designing products and services that will appeal to them.
   To do so, your organization should create nuanced buyer personas for all relevant market segments or buyer groups that demonstrate affinity to your brand. These buyer personas should include standard demographic information […] 2014, Ira Kaufman, Chris Horton, Digital Marketing, page 128