Circularity in OED

[Shapiro, Fred]

I'm not an expert in the theory of defining, but I notice that one of the definitions of "person" given in OED3 is "A role taken by a person."  Isn't this circularity, which is supposed to be a no-no in defining?  Am I missing something?

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                                            Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and        YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press
Yale Law School                                           ISBN 0300107986
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu                   http://quotationdictionary.com
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