Belonging to the person. 2. This adjective is frequently employed in connection with substantives, things, goods, chattels, actions, right, duties, and the like as personal estate, put in opposition to real estate; personal actions, in contradistinction to real actions; personal rights are those which belong to the person; personal duties are those which are to be performed in person.
Law Dictionary – Alternative Legal Definition
Appertaining to the person ; belonging to an Individual; limited to the person; having the nature or partaking of the qualities of human beings, or of movable property. As to personal “Action,” “Assets,” “Chattels,” “Contract,” “Covenant,” “Credit” “Demand,” “Disability,” “Franchise,” “Injury.” “Judgment,” “Knowledge,” “Law,” “Liability,” “Liberty,” “Notice,” “Property,” “Replevin,” “Representatives,” “Rights,” “Security,” “Service,” “Servitude,” “Statute,” “Tax,” “Tithes,” “Tort” and “Warranty,” see those titles. Personal things cannot be done by another. Finch, Law, b. 1, c 3, n. 14. Personal things cannot be granted over. Finch, Law, b. 1, c 3, h. 15. Personal things die with the person. Finch, Law, b. 1, c. 3, n. 16. Personalia personam sequnntur. Personal things follow the person. Flanders v. Cross, 10 Cush. (Mass.) 516.