possess
/pəˈzɛs/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.02 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
Of an idea, thought, etc.: to dominate (someone's mind); to strongly influence.
Transitive verb
verb
Of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person's body or mind).
Transitive verb
verb
Of a person: to control or dominate (oneself or someone, or one's own or someone's heart, mind, etc.).
Literary; Transitive verb
verb
Of a person: to control or dominate (oneself or someone, or one's own or someone's heart, mind, etc.).
Literary; Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "He does not even possess a working telephone."
- "For men being generally poſſeſſed before the time of our Saviour, […] of an opinion, that the Souls of men were ſubſtances diſtinct from their Bodies, and therefore that when the Body was dead, the Soule of every man, whether godly, or wicked, muſt ſubſiſt ſomewhere by vertue of its own nature, without acknowledging therein any ſupernaturall gift of Gods; the Doctors of the Church doubted a long time, what was the place, which they were to abide in, till they ſhould be re-united to their Bodies in the Reſurrection; […]"
- "Even where the affections are not strongly moved by any superior excellence, the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds, which hardly any later friend can obtain."
- "[T]he ship turned and made slowly for her wharf under the wall, bringing even more fairly to view the life with which the river at that point was possessed."
- "He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement."
- "Here the line is joined by the Colne Valley branch, and both tracks are carried into Haverhill station upon a high embankment from which the town can be seen on the south side. The twin tracks, after traversing a scissors crossover, become the down and up roads through the station, which possesses an extensive goods yard."
Etymology
PIE word *pótis From Middle English possessen (“to have, own; to obtain possession of; to inhabit, occupy”) [and other forms], from Middle French possesser, possessier, Old French possesser, possessier (“to have, own, possess; to dominate”), from Latin possessus (“possessed; seized”), the perfect passive participle of possideō (“to have, hold, own, possess; to have possessions; to take control or possession of, occupy, seize; to abide, inhabit, occupy; to dominate”), from potis (“able, capable, possible”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pótis (“master; ruler; husband”)) + sedeō (“to sit; to be seated; to be established, hold firm”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pəˈzɛs/
- British English: /pəˈzɛs/
Usage
Inflected Forms
possesses (present, singular)
possessing (participle, present)
possessed (participle, past)
possessed (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
possessed (first person, past)
possessest (archaic, present)
possessed (past, second person)
possessedst (archaic, past)
possesseth (archaic, present)
possessed (past, singular)