Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Possess — Pos*sess (?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Possessed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Possessing}.] [L. possessus, p. p. of possidere to have, possess, from an inseparable prep. (cf. {Position}) + sedere to sit. See {Sit}.] 1. To occupy in person; to hold or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
possess — pos·sess /pə zes/ vt: to have possession of Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. possess I … Law dictionary
possess — pos‧sess [pəˈzes] verb [transitive] formal 1. to own or have something, especially something valuable or important, or something illegal: • The US is the only country that possesses global economic, military and political power. • Judges rarely… … Financial and business terms
possess — mid 15c., to hold, occupy, reside in (without regard to ownership), from O.Fr. possessier (mid 13c.), from L. possess , pp. stem of possidere to possess. Meaning to hold as property is recorded from c.1500. Demonic sense is recorded from 1530s… … Etymology dictionary
possess — [pə zes′] vt. [LME < MFr possessier < L possessus, pp. of possidere, to possess < pos , contr. < potis, able (see POTENT) + sedere, to sit] 1. to hold as property or occupy in person; have as something that belongs to one; own 2. to… … English World dictionary
possess — own, enjoy, hold, *have Analogous words: control, manage, direct, *conduct: retain, *keep, reserve, withhold … New Dictionary of Synonyms
possess — [v] have or obtain acquire, bear, be blessed with, be born with, be endowed with, carry, control, corner*, corner the market*, dominate, enjoy, get hands on*, get hold of*, grab, have to name*, hog*, hold, latch on to, lock up, maintain, occupy,… … New thesaurus
possess — ► VERB 1) have as property; own. 2) (also be possessed of) have as an ability, quality, or characteristic. 3) (of a demon or spirit) have complete power over. 4) (of an emotion, idea, etc.) dominate the mind of. ● what possessed you? Cf. ↑ … English terms dictionary
possess — possessor, n. possessorship, n. /peuh zes /, v.t. 1. to have as belonging to one; have as property; own: to possess a house and a car. 2. to have as a faculty, quality, or the like: to possess courage. 3. (of a spirit, esp. an evil one) to occupy … Universalium
possess — [[t]pəze̱s[/t]] possesses, possessing, possessed 1) VERB: no passive If you possess something, you have it or own it. [V n] He was then arrested and charged with possessing an offensive weapon... [V n] He is said to possess a fortune o … English dictionary
possess */*/*/ — UK [pəˈzes] / US verb [transitive] Word forms possess : present tense I/you/we/they possess he/she/it possesses present participle possessing past tense possessed past participle possessed 1) formal to own a physical object They were all found… … English dictionary
