Personification:
Definition:
“the practice of representing objects, qualities, etc. as humans, in art and literature; an object, quality, etc. that is represented in this way.”
"Personification." Oxford Leaner's Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2022. Oxford English Dictionary Online, www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/personification?q=personification. Accessed 6 Sept. 2022.
Informal:
Personification is when an object is written with human qualities.
Example: “The sun smiles down on us.”
Deguzman, Kyle. "What Is Personification ? Definition and Examples for Writers." Studiobinder, 11 July 2021, www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-personification-definition-examples/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20sun%20smiled%20down%20on,the%20surface%20of%20the%20water.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 6 Sept. 2022.
Etymology:
Personify (v.)
1727 "to attribute personal form to inanimate objects or abstractions" (especially as an artistic or literary technique), from person + -fy or from French personnifier (17c.), from personne. Meaning "to represent, embody" attested from 1806.
Harper, Douglas, editor. "Personify (v.)." Online Etymology Dictionary, 15 Apr. 2020, www.etymonline.com/word/personify#:~:text=personify%20(v.),%2C%20embody%22%20attested%20from%201806. Accessed 6 Sept. 2022.