Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - persona

 noun  (plural ~e or ~s)  Etymology: Latin  Date: 1909  1. a character assumed by an author in a written work  2.  a. plural ~s New Latin, from Latin an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing — compare anima  b. the ~lity that a person (as an actor or politician) projects in public ; image  3. plural ~e a character in a fictional presentation (as a novel or play) — usually used in plural comic ~e