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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Possess \Pos*sess"\ (?; 277), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Possessed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Possessing}.] [L. possessus, p. p. of possidere to have, possess, from an inseparable preposition (cf. {Position}) + sedere to sit. See {Sit}.]
1. To occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold.
Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land. --Jer. xxxii. 15.
Yet beauty, though injurious, hath strange power, After offense returning, to regain Love once possessed. --Milton.
2. To have the legal title to; to have a just right to; to be master of; to own; to have; as, to possess property, an estate, a book.
I am yours, and all that I possess. --Shak.
3. To obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize.
How . . . to possess the purpose they desired. --Spenser.
4. To enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; -- said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc. ''Weakness possesseth me.'' --Shak.
Those which were possessed with devils. --Matt. iv. 24.
For ten inspired, ten thousand are possessed. --Roscommon.
5. To put in possession; to make the owner or holder of property, power, knowledge, etc.; to acquaint; to inform; -- followed by of or with before the thing possessed, and now commonly used reflexively.
I have possessed your grace of what I purpose. --Shak.
Record a gift . . . of all he dies possessed Unto his son. --Shak.
We possessed our selves of the kingdom of Naples. --Addison.
To possess our minds with an habitual good intention. --Addison.
Syn: To have; hold; occupy; control; own.
Usage: {Possess}, {Have}. Have is the more general word. To possess denotes to have as a property. It usually implies more permanence or definiteness of control or ownership than is involved in having. A man does not possess his wife and children: they are (so to speak) part of himself. For the same reason, we have the faculties of reason, understanding, will, sound judgment, etc.: they are exercises of the mind, not possessions.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
possess
verb
1: have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill; "he possesses great knowledge about the Middle East"
2: have ownership or possession of; "He owns three houses in Florida"; "How many cars does she have?" [syn: {own}, {have}]
3: enter into and control, as of emotions or ideas; "What possessed you to buy this house?"; "A terrible rage possessed her"
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
133 Moby Thesaurus words for "possess": achieve, acquire, appreciate, apprehend, be acquainted with, be apprised of, be aware of, be cognizant of, be conscious of, be conversant with, be enfeoffed of, be informed, be possessed of, be seized of, bear, bedevil, beset, bewitch, boast, captivate, carry, catch up, charm, claim, clap hands on, clasp, claw, clench, clinch, clutch, cognize, come by, come into, command, compel, comprehend, conceive, conceptualize, consume, contain, control, demonize, devilize, diabolize, discern, dominate, drain off, draw off, drive, embody, embrace, enchant, enjoy, fathom, fill, gain, get, get hold of, glom on to, govern, grab, grab hold of, grapple, grasp, grip, gripe, hant, haunt, have, have and hold, have in hand, have information about, have knowledge of, have tenure of, hex, hold, hoodoo, hug, impel, include, infatuate, jinx, ken, know, lay hands on, lay hold of, loot, make out, nail, nip, nip up, not let go, obsess, obtain, occupy, overlook, own, palm, partake, perceive, pillage, pocket, prehend, preoccupy, procure, realize, receive, recognize, retain, savvy, secure, see, seize, snap up, snatch, spook, squat, squat on, steal, take, take by assault, take by storm, take hold of, take possession, take possession of, understand, usucapt, voodoo, whip up, win, witch, wot, wot of
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |