possessv.

Brit.

/pəˈzɛs/, U.S.

/pəˈzɛs/

Inflections: Past tense and past participle possessed, (chiefly archaic) possest, possesst;

Forms: Middle English–1600s possesse, Middle English–1700s posses, Middle English– possess, 1600s poscesse, 1600s possese, 1800s– posess (irregular); Scottish pre-1700 pocess, pre-1700 posess, pre-1700 posses, pre-1700 possese, pre-1700 possesse, pre-1700 1700s– possess. Also past tense and past participle 1500s–1700s posest, 1500s– possest (now archaic); Scottish pre-1700 pocest, pre-1700 posseist, pre-1700 posseste.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French possesser.

Etymology: < Middle French possesser to own, to enjoy (1306 in Old French; 1269 as possessier ; 1311 as possessir ), Middle French possesseir (1336), to have as a moral quality (1464–1506), to dominate (1566) < classical Latin possess- , past participial stem of possidēre to hold as property, to have as a quality, to occupy as a tenant, to occupy, inhabit, to take up (a space), to engross, to overwhelm, to influence strongly, to dominate, to take control of, to seize, to exercise power over, to gain sexual possession of (a woman) ( < potis (see posse n.¹) + sedēre to sit: see sedent adj.), perhaps immediately after Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French possesseur possessor n., possession possession n. Compare possede v.The regular Old French reflex of possidēre is posseer, posseir, posseoir.

I. With the person or thing possessed as object.

a. transitive. To own, to have or gain ownership of; to have (wealth or material objects) as one's own; to hold as property.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > have or possess [verb (transitive)]

holda855

haveeOE

feoffc1330

werec1330

possede1392

possess1394

to be seized (seised) of or with1477

get1611

rejoice1822

1394 in Collectanea Topographica & Genealogica (1836) III. 256 (MED) Tho hadde we possessid of the forsaid londys..a Reles by the forsaid Sir Guy..of al his riht to the same londys.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 508 The expense of alle hise ricchessis now of him possessid and had.

c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 70 (MED) He tretiþ goddis good to bi it aȝens goddis licence..bi cause he may not possesse it.

a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 121 Thocht all this warld thow did posseid, Nocht eftir death thow sall possess.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xii. f. xcvj^v For no mannes life stondeth in the haboundaunce of the thynges which he possesseth.

1612 J. Webster White Divel sig. G It is reported you possesse a booke Wherein you haue quoted, by intelligence, The names of all notorious offenders.

1685 Lady Russell Lett. (1819) I. 68 I was too rich in possessions whilst I possessed him.

1722 W. Wollaston Relig. of Nature vii. 146 The little plots, which the several families possess, and cultivate.

1785 W. Paley Princ. Moral & Polit. Philos. iii. i. iv. 102 It is..‘consistent with the will of God’, or ‘right’, that I should possess that share which these regulations assign me.

1818 C. Burney in S. Parr Wks. (1828) VIII. 643 Garrard is the only book on the Siglarian subject that I possess.

1881 J. A. Froude Short Stud. (1883) IV. ii. ii. 187 He could not give to others what he did not himself possess.

1922 S. Lewis Babbitt xxi. 260 The secretary had the distinction of possessing State Motor Car License Number 5.

1991 Photo Answers Apr. 17/4 Bulldog clips are among the most important bits of kit photographers of fashion can possess.

b. transitive. To hold or enjoy (something non-material); to have as an attribute, property, condition, etc.; to be characterized by (a quality, characteristic, etc.).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > have or possess [verb (transitive)] > possess a condition or position

haveOE

hold1340

rejoicec1390

beara1393

possess?a1425

acquire1474

pack1925

?a1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iii. pr. x. 54 Somthing possessyng in itself parfyt good schulde be more worthy than God.

c1450 tr. Jan van Ruusbroec Treat. Perfection Sons of God (BL Add.) (1957) 257 (MED) So we schalle ascende than frome vertewe to verteue..and so fynally possesse trewe consyance.

1573 G. Gascoigne Disc. Aduentures Master F. I. in Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 263 She shoulde not onely leese the good credite which she hir selfe had hitherto possessed, but furthermore should distayne their whole race with common obloquy and reproch.

1576 A. Fleming tr. C. Matius in Panoplie Epist. 115 The residue of my lyfe will I lead in Rhodes, where I may possesse peace and quietnes.

1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. B And let not him possesse anothers right.

1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo sig. C4^v A siluer tongue..that, when I approach, Within the presence of this demy Goddesse, I may posses an adimanticke power.

1685 Lady Russell Lett. (1819) I. 81 My weakness is invincible, which makes me, as you phrase it,..possess past calamities.

1744 J. Harris Three Treat. iii. i. 134 No Animal..possesses its Faculties in vain.

1778 J. Beattie Let. to Rev. H. Blair 27 Church-musick, like other outward circumstances relating to Divine Worship, cannot be supposed to possess any intrinsic sanctity.

1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) III. xxv. 367 Notwithstanding the ample means of information which they possest, great ignorance and many erroneous opinions prevailed.

1852 F. W. Robertson Serm. 3rd Ser. xviii. 236 The writhings of a heart that has been made to possess its own iniquities.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. vi. 46 The former may possess many times the intensity of the latter.

1889 Times 27 Sept. 5/4 An elaborate hidated survey, which possesses a peculiar value from its reference to the Domesday survey.

1925 F. S. Fitzgerald Great Gatsby ix. 212 Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life.

1956 W. S. Churchill Hist. Eng.-speaking Peoples II. iv. vi. 63 She was..slightly pock-marked, but was said to possess wit and animation, and did not over-indulge in beer.

1971 I. Metzker & D. L. Levy tr. Bintel Brief 95 Those men who are opposed to giving women the same rights they possess are acting from tyrannical instincts.

2001 Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent) (Electronic ed.) 14 Jan. Birkir Kristinsson underlined his growing reputation as possessing the proverbial safe pair of hands between the posts.

†c. transitive. To have knowledge or command of (a language, subject, or skill); to be familiar with, conversant in. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > familiarity > know, be conversant with [verb (transitive)]

witc888

yknoweOE

witOE

canOE

knowOE

kenc1330

acquainta1393

quaint1509

understand1541

to summer and winter1602

possess1607

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > scholarly knowledge, erudition > intellectual command, mastery > have mastery of [verb]

canOE

knowc1300

to be mistress ofc1440

possess1607

soak1937

1607 T. Heywood Woman Kilde with Kindnesse sig. B^v My humor is not compendious: dancing I possese not, though I can foote it.

1789 W. Belsham Ess. I. xii. 217 Making an empty parade of knowledge which we do not really possess.

1796 Ld. Glenbervie Diaries (1928) I. 104 He has indeed a great memory for poetry and classical knowledge of every sort, and possesses a great deal of general literature.

1839 W. C. Harris Wild Sports S. Afr. ii. 11 This..individual..possessed a fair smattering of the English and Sichuana languages.

1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond I. iii. 65 Harry..possessed the two languages of French and English very well.

1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. i. 39 Every critic should try and possess one great literature, at least, besides his own.

d. transitive. Law. To have possession of, as distinct from ownership (see possession n. 1b); esp. to hold or occupy as a tenant, to lease.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal possession > possess in law [verb (transitive)] > distinct from own

possess1758

1758 Caledonian Mercury 9 Sept. A Farm..lying six Miles South of Edinburgh, within the Parish and Barony of Primrose, the Property of the Earl of Roseberry, and possessed by John Hasty.

1888 F. Pollock & R. S. Wright Possession in Comm. Law 36 The King is not unfrequently spoken of as being seised or possessed of the crown.

1888 F. Pollock & R. S. Wright Possession in Comm. Law 2 The person entitled to possess is generally (though not always) the owner.

2003 Internat. Financial Law Rev. (Nexis) 22 80 If a person has for 20 years peaceably and openly possessed real property with the intent to own it, he can acquire legal ownership of the real property upon registration thereof.

†a. transitive. Of a person or body of people: to hold or occupy (a place or territory); to reside or be stationed in; to inhabit (with or without ownership). Also intransitive. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > [verb (transitive)]

wonOE

erdeOE

inwonea1300

inhabitc1374

indwell1382

occupya1387

biga1400

endwellc1420

possessc1450

purprise1481

people1490

dwell1520

accompany?c1525

replenishc1540

populate1578

habit1580

inhabitate1600

tenant1635

improvec1650

manure1698

society > law > transfer of property > putting in possession > put (a person) in possession [verb (transitive)]

feoffc1290

seizec1290

enseisec1420

inseisinc1440

possessc1450

seisinc1450

vest1464

c1450 Speculum Christiani (Harl. 6580) (1933) 70 (MED) Nouther a-voutres..ne sodomytes, oppressers and defoulers of menchyldre, schal possesse the kyngdome of god.

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 105 (MED) This londe of Iuda was promisede to oure faderes, but not utterly possessedde.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 431 b/2 How now..we possessen pesably our royame without ony werre.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Josh. xxiv. A I gaue..Esau mount Seir to possesse [moūt in text].

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xlvij^v Colledges..were fyrst founded for the pore, but now for the most part they possesse them, which haue enough besides.

1585 R. Grenville Let. 25 Oct. in Cal. State Papers Coll. Series I. 4 I haue possessed and peopled the same to her Majesties vse, And planted it wth suche cattell & beastes as are fitte and necessary for manuringe the Countrey.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. v. 48 Let instructions enter Where Folly now possesses .

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 431 Dominion giv'n Over all other Creatures that possesse Earth, Aire, and Sea.

1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. 2 The City of Destruction, a populous place, but possessed with a very ill conditioned, and idle sort of People.

1704 in A. Morgan Univ. Edinb. Charters (1937) 155 The best chambers in the colledge, which wer useually possesst by childring of noblemen..are now otherwayes inhabited.

1713 R. Steele Guardian No. 6. ⁋3 The whole shire is now possessed by gentlemen, who owe Sir Harry a part of Education.

1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 115 We would not let them see..what a vast Extent of Land we possess there with a few Men.

†b. transitive. Of a thing: to occupy, take up (a space or region); to be situated at, on, or in. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > presence > fact of taking up space > take up (space or a place) [verb (transitive)]

hold1297

occupyc1384

purprise1481

furnishc1500

people1597

possess1604

enharbour1613

tenant1670

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iii. xiii. 159 The waves of the South sea, runne 30 leagues, and the other 70 are possessed with the billowes and waves of the North sea.

c1620 A. Hume Of Orthogr. Britan Tongue (1870) i. ix. §5 The acute [accent]..may possesse the last syllab:..The penult:..The antepenult:..And the fourth also from the end.

1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 205 The Addition of four Foot will be filled up and possessed by the Walls and Clay-work.

1755 B. Martin Mag. Arts & Sci. v. 22 The Solar System, in which you see the Sun possesses nearly the central Point.

1870 D. G. Rossetti Poems 4 When those bells Possessed the mid-day air.]

†c. transitive. Of a disease, etc.: to affect; to infect. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > cause to be ill [verb (transitive)] > affect or afflict

aileOE

takec1300

visitc1340

troublec1400

vex?c1425

surprise1485

vizy1488

attaintc1534

heart-burn?1537

molest1559

gar1614

possess1617

misaffect1618

corrept1657

invalid1803

1617 J. Woodall Surgions Mate 134 If the palsie possesse the opposite part.

1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) at Achor A disease possessing the hairy scalp.

1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 266 An error..which has possess'd the Copies of this Play.

1839 P. M. Taylor Confessions of Thug III. xvi. 385 A kind of burning fever possessed me; my blood felt hot as it coursed through my veins.

d. transitive. To take up the time or attention of; to occupy, engross. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > attention > attracting attention > engage the attention [verb (transitive)] > hold attention, absorb

swallowc1330

deepc1380

dare1547

suspend1561

preoccupy1567

devour1568

to swallow up1581

enwrap1589

invest1601

steep1603

to take up1603

spell1646

possess1653

enchain1658

engross1661

absorb1749

fix1752

rivet1762

fascinate1782

spell-bind1808

arrest1814

mesmerize1862

to turn on1903

get1913

consume1999

1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler vi. 134 To enjoy the former pleasures that there possest him.

1692 J. Locke Toleration iv, in Wks. (1727) III. 464 Affairs of State which wholly possess them when grown up.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 9 The..innocent Amusements..which before entirely possest me, were nothing to me.

1987 J. Graham End of Beauty 28 The meadow, the meadow hums, love, with the planes, as if every last blade of grass were wholly possessed by this practice, wholly prepared.

3. transitive. Of an idea, attitude, etc.: to take hold of (a person), to have a hold over (a person); to affect or influence strongly and persistently; to actuate, dominate, control.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > bring to belief, convince [verb (transitive)] > of idea, etc.: dominate

possessc1460

to take possession1567

c1460 Tree & 12 Frutes (McClean) (1960) 114 (MED) Vnmylde folk..ben not had and possessid of god with in hem self but ben from hem self and had and possessid of ire and wraith.

1581 W. Fowler Wks. (1936) II. 30 If ather honesty might mouit thé, or ressoun had possessit thee.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. i. 207 My eares are stopt, & cannot hear good newes, So much of bad already hath possest them.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 204 What a strange drowsines possesses them?

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. xi. 44 Which Tuscan superstition seasing upon Rome hath since possessed all Europe.

1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. xviii. 175 I fell into a Quagmire; but I knew not what possest me to ride afterward into another on purpose.

1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 3 This [suspicion] possess'd the Heads of the People very much.

1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. vii. 43 Henry, possessed..with an high idea of his own power and importance.

1773 H. More Search after Happiness ii Though more to folly than to guilt inclined, A drear vacuity possess'd my mind.

1814 Gonzanga i. i, in J. Galt New Brit. Theatre III. 102 What can possess this young lord to be out of his bed at this hour?

1880 L. Wallace Ben-Hur 31 In a mood very different from that which now possesses them.

1918 A. G. Gardiner Leaves in Wind 211 I had a strange dream last night. Like most dreams, it was a sort of wild comment on the thought that had possessed me in my waking hours.

1983 A. Mason Illusionist i. 37 The music would not let him stop: it possessed him, it had become the blood that pulsed in his veins.

1997 P. Carey Jack Maggs (1998) lxxxviii. 320 Why would you come here when you could perfectly well walk up Long Acre? What possessed you?

4. transitive. Of a demon or spirit, esp. an evil one: to occupy and have power over (a person, animal, etc.); to control or dominate from within. Frequently in passive with by, with, †of. Cf. obsess v. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [verb (intransitive)] > possess (of demon)

beset1483

possessa1513

the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [verb (transitive)] > possess or assail (a person)

rideeOE

possede1392

obsess1440

possessa1513

indevil1604

inspirit1675

endiableea1734

bedevil1834

bespirit1862

a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Radegunde (c1525) 18 Howe blessyd Radegunde delyuered a woman possessyd with a fynde from daunger and payne to helth and prosperite.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. iv. f. v Them that were possessed with devils.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke viii. f. lxxxviij He that was possessed of the devyll.

1596 Bp. W. Barlow tr. L. Lavater Three Christian Serm. i. 23 The Hogges without leaue [of God the Father]..he coulde not possesse.

1612 T. Dekker If it be not Good iii. ii. 5 I am possest with the diuell and cannot sleepe.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iii. iv. 85 If all the diuels of hell be drawne in little, and Legion himselfe possest him, yet Ile speake to him.

1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. viii. 38 Thought by the Jewes to be possessed either with a good, or evill spirit.

1705 T. Hearne Ductor Historicus (ed. 2) I. iii. 228 Some are of Opinion..that Abel slew the very same Serpent the Devil had formerly possessed.

1727 D. Defoe Syst. Magick i. ii. 55 A Set of People who were not possess'd by, but rather, as it may be called, are possess'd of the Devil.

a1798 T. Pennant Tour on Continent (1948) 39 Loup garou is ane which kills children. The common people at present say that this kind is now possessed with a Jesuit.

1850 F. W. Robertson Serm. 3rd Ser. ix. 113 The spirit which possessed him must be, they thought, divine.

1854 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity I. iii. vii. 470 A woman eats a lettuce without making the sign of the cross; she is possessed by a devil.

1902 W. E. A. Axon in Trans. Royal Soc. Lit. 2nd Ser. 23 99 Belfagor..undertook to possess a rich lady, and not to be exorcised save by Matteo.

1919 J. Conrad Arrow of Gold iv. iv Had I lived in the Middle Ages I am certain I would have believed that a talking bird must be possessed by the devil.

1990 L. Picknett Encycl. Paranormal 61/2 Many hallucinations show a disturbing similarity to the evil—or benign—spirits that in the annals of demonology sought to possess, or influence, the afflicted.

a. transitive. To take possession of, seize, grasp; to come into possession of, obtain, gain, win. Now archaic and literary.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)]

wieldeOE

haveeOE

ofgoOE

oweOE

addlec1175

winc1175

avela1200

to come by ——a1225

covera1250

oughtc1275

reachc1275

hentc1300

purchasec1300

to come to ——c1330

getc1330

pickc1330

chevise1340

fang1340

umbracec1350

chacche1362

perceivea1382

accroacha1393

achievea1393

to come at ——a1393

areach1393

recovera1398

encroach?a1400

chevec1400

enquilec1400

obtainc1422

recurec1425

to take upc1425

acquirea1450

encheve1470

sortise1474

conques?a1500

tain1501

report1508

conquest1513

possess1526

compare1532

cough1550

coff1559

fall1568

reap1581

acquist1592

accrue1594

appurchasec1600

recoil1632

to get at ——1666

to come into ——1672

rise1754

net1765

to fall in for1788

to scare up1846

access1953

the mind > possession > taking > taking possession > take possession of [verb (transitive)]

take?a1160

seizec1290

raima1325

to take in possessiona1325

to hent in (also upon) handa1350

occupya1382

to take possession?a1425

to take upc1425

uptakec1425

to take in1523

possess1526

master1826

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xxi. 19 With your pacience possesse your soules. [1611 King James In your patience possesse ye your soules. 1382 Wycliffite, E.V., ȝe schulen welde ȝoure soulis. 1881 R.V. ye shall win your souls].

1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. F3 A companie of rattes vpon a soddayne possest his house.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. iii. sig. Ee5^v How to effect so hard an enterprize, And to possesse the purpose they desird.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 93 There thou maist braine him, Hauing first seiz'd his bookes... Remember First to possesse his Bookes.

1649 O. Cromwell in T. Carlyle Lett. & Speeches (1871) II. 227 Upon Thursday the One-and-thirtieth, I possessed a Castle called Kilkenny.

1700 R. Blackmore Paraphr. Job xxxi. 135 If ever I another's Acres till'd, Ever my Houses with his Harvest fill'd, Or to possess his Goods my Neighbour kill'd: Let Thistles fill my Fields, instead of Wheat.

1764 S. Foote Mayor of Garret i. 9 Turning down a narrow lane..in order to possess a pig's-stye, that we might take the gallows in flank.

1866 M. G. Currie Gabriel West & Other Poems 37 There the possessor stands, Grown prematurely old; Plebeians all possess his lands And misers grasp his gold.

1876 L. Morris Epic of Hades ii. 40 The strong brute forces..leap on him, and seize him, and possess His life.

1954 I. Murdoch Under Net vii. 104 If you have ever visited the City of London in the evening you will know what an uncanny loneliness possesses these streets which during the day are so busy and noisy.

1956 A. Ginsberg Howl 23 We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier.

b. transitive. To gain sexual possession of (a woman); to have sexual intercourse with. Also intransitive.In some quots. difficult to distinguish from sense 6.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity [verb (intransitive)] > have sexual intercourse > specifically of a man

to hit the master-vein1592

possess1592

to get one's leg over1599

roger1763

to have one's way with1884

to dip (one's) wick1958

to lay pipe1967

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with > specifically of a man

jape1382

overliec1400

swivec1405

foilc1440

overlay?a1475

bed1548

possess1592

knock1598

to get one's leg over1599

enjoy1602

poke1602

thrum1611

topa1616

riga1625

swingea1640

jerk1650

night-work1654

wimble1656

roger1699

ruta1706

tail1778

to touch up1785

to get into ——c1890

root1922

to knock up1934

lay1934

pump1937

prong1942

nail1948

to slip (someone) a length1949

to knock off1953

thread1958

stuff1960

tup1970

nut1971

pussy1973

service1973

1592 T. Kyd Spanish Trag. i. sig. A2 By duteous seruice and deseruing loue, In secret I possest a worthy dame.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iv. i. 136 Now tell me how long you would haue her, after you haue possest her?

1680 Earl of Rochester et al. Poems 87 Mad to possess himself he threw, On the defenceless lovely Maid!

1719 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth IV. 332 And tho' I let Loobies, Oft finger my Bubbies: Who think when they Kiss me, That they shall possess me.

1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage Gil Blas II. v. ii. 197 The four banditti expressed an equal desire of possessing the lady who had fallen into their hands, and talked of casting lots for her.

1876 Romance of Lust IV. 39 Her delight and surprise at finding the dear Egerton had equally desired to possess her.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 472 All the male brutes that have possessed her.

1961 Partisan Rev. 28 648 A conflict having to do with father-murder and the wish to possess the father's woman.

1987 J. Uglow George Eliot x. 165 Once he possesses her his awe is replaced by the desire to master her independent spirit.

6. transitive. Chiefly literary and poetic. To control or have dominion over (a person, a person's heart, mind, or soul).

ΚΠ

1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) vii. 14 Hence hairt..For quhy thow art with hir possest.

1579 H. Chettle Forrest of Fancy sig. 3^v Peraduenture, because I am a yong manne, and haue but little to take vnto, you thinke I woulde if I were once possessed of you, seeke onely to liue vppon that which you haue.

1642 A. Ross Mel Heliconium 20 So run my soul, untill thou be possess'd Of thy belov'd, and of eternall rest.

1677 A. Behn Abdelazar i. ii. 12 So perfectly thou dost possess my soul, That ev'ry wish of thine shall be obey'd.

1688 J. Crowne Darius iii. 35 You possess my Heart, though I've lost yours.

a1784 H. Alline Hymns & Spiritual Songs (1802) iv. lxxxii. 213 Let Jesus all my life control, To bid false loves adieu; Let him alone possess my soul, And ev'ry foe subdue.

1796 M. G. Lewis Monk II. iv. 8 ‘Be generous, Alphonso,’ she said; ‘you possess my heart, but use not the gift ignobly.’

1826 M. W. Shelley Last Man I. iv. 136 Take me—mould me to your will, possess my heart and soul to all eternity.

1993 J. Laughlin Man in Wall 99 I am hers she possesses me because I (with age) have lost much of my memory but she can recall..everything that we did together years ago.

7. transitive. To keep or maintain (oneself, one's mind or soul) in a specified state or condition. Also (without in): to maintain control over, to keep calm or steady. Cf. self-possessed adj.Often used in allusion to Luke 21:19 (with the correct sense being misunderstood: see quot. 1526² at sense 4).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > control oneself or the emotions [verb (transitive)]

govern1340

sober1390

obtempera1492

refrain?1521

control1568

obtemperate1575

command1586

smother1594

subject1620

controla1627

possess1643

reduce1643

devour1650

stiflea1683

to wrestle down1808

1643 J. Evelyn Jrnl. 2 May in Mem. (1818) I. 30 Resolving to possess myselfe in some quiet,..I built..a study,..at Wotton.

1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. ii. 27 All Christians..are obliged to passive obedience, to possess their souls in patience.

1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 137. ⁋1 Uneasy Persons, who cannot possess their own Minds.

1749 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 22 May (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1349 A man who does not possess himself enough to hear disagreeable things without visible marks of anger..is at the mercy of every artful knave.

1890 Mrs. E. Lynn Linton in Chambers's Jrnl. 4 Oct. 625/1 Every man worthy of the name of man should know how to possess his soul—bearing with patience those things which energy cannot change.

1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps vi. 137 I tried to possess my soul in patience, and to forget how hungry I was.

2001 Boston Globe (Nexis) 8 Nov. d1 Naipaul, 69, shrugs off the idea that the Nobel [prize] will affect him. ‘I live very privately,’ he says, ‘so I can possess myself.’ Self-possession has been a touchstone..of Naipaul's life.

II. With the person caused to possess something as object.

†8. transitive. Chiefly with in. To enter (a person) into possession or lawful occupancy of property or a position (sometimes formally, by the performance of a symbolic action). Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1402 in J. Slater Early Scots Texts (Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Edinb.) (1952) No. 55 Fra he hafe bene possessit in the said landis.

a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 291 (MED) Edwardeus Dai gracia..God hathe chose the to be his knyt And posseside the in thi right.

1576 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1878) 1st Ser. II. 518 To enter and possess the said Nicoll in his saidis landis.

1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. viii. 39 He deposed Arimba from his kingly seat, and possessed Alexander therein.

1687 in J. R. Bloxham Magdalen Coll. & James II (1886) 178 Hee thought the Bishop illegally possest.

1708 in Phenix II. 241 Then the Just..shall be possess'd in the fulness of their Glory.

1814 R. Lindesay Chron. 184 He obtained the earldome of Marr from the King, and was possest in the same.

a. transitive. In passive. To be in possession of; to be endowed with.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > be in possession [verb (intransitive)]

possess1415

to be in possession of1603

1415 T. Hoccleve Addr. to Sir John Oldcastle l. 170 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 13 Our goode fadres olde Possessid were..of Crystes feith.

1438 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1835) V. 103 (MED) Johan Scurlag..was by oure lettres patentz presentid to the said tresourie and of þe same..longe time pesibly possessed.

1449–53 in E. M. Carus-Wilson Overseas Trade Bristol in Later Middle Ages (1937) 93 (MED) John Wyche of Brystowe, merchaunt..was possessed of a ship called the Mary of Bristowe.

1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xv. xlii Creta was somtyme possessyd wyth [a1398 BL Add. bihiȝte wiþ] an hundryd noble cytees.

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II ii. i. 163 The plate..and moueables Whereof our Vnckle Gaunt did stand possest .

1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets xxix. sig. C3 Featur'd like him, like him with friends possest .

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 137 They found the Spaniards possessed of the Towne.

1683 London Bully 28 I had been about a year possessed of this Calling, and was in my Masters esteem.

1762 in Shropshire Parish Reg., Lichfield II. (Kenley) 35 Jan. 10. Mr. John Bodler, p. of Longnor, was bur. at Kenley, posest with nothing at all.

1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. iii. 108 He..of her And her's possest, shall bear them safe away.

1809 S. T. Coleridge Friend 12 Oct. 138 Every human being possessed of Reason.

1863 W. E. Gladstone Wedgwood 38 The active vigorous English workman, possessed of all his limbs.

1932 E. G. M. Fletcher in D. O. Shilton & R. Holworthy High Court of Admiralty Exam. 1637–8 Introd. p. xxi Unaided by a regular system of lighthouses, possessed with no proper charts, [etc.] those who set forth on a voyage 300 years ago engaged in a calling, the dangers, difficulties and adventure of which are entirely unknown to those who sail the seas to-day.

1988 Smithsonian Stud. Amer. Art Fall 30/1 Possessed rather of a ‘hideous beauty,’ the storefront is an ambivalent symbol.

2002 Washington Post 23 Nov. (Home ed.) d12/1 NFL players are certainly possessed of toughness.

†b. transitive. To endow or invest (a person) with; to put in possession of; to give to, bestow upon. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > giving > give [verb (transitive)] > cause to be possessed > put in possession of

possess1475

impatronize1575

advest1611

1475 Rolls of Parl. VI. 147/1 All Castelles..Tenementes..whereof she..was seased or possessed in hir owne right, state, or possession.

1515 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 33 The inquest..ordanit thaim to posses Wolle with the ayrschip of umquhyll Mungo Broun.

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) i. 15 He possessis vthir pure pepil..vitht the samyn reches.

1584 W. Warner Pan his Syrinx vii. xcvii. sig. R3^v So well did I thinke of the man, that vtterlye dispossessing my selfe, I wholie possessed him of mine intiere substaunce.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. xi. 21 I will possesse you of that ship and Treasure.

1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 2 By possessing our souls of true vertue.

c1650 J. Spalding Memorialls Trubles Scotl. & Eng. (1851) II. 142 Efter removeing of his wyf fra Spynnie, the Erll of Morray possessit his sister sone..thairwith.

1658 R. Allestree Pract. Christian Graces; or, Whole Duty of Man vii. §7. 162 By possessing his heart with this vertue of contentedness.

1784 J. Reynolds Disc. Royal Acad. (1876) xii. 55 It is better to possess the model with the attitude you require.

1789 T. Jefferson Let. 3 June in Papers (1958) XV. 166 I have thought it better to possess him immediately of the paper.

c. transitive (reflexive). To take possession of; to take for oneself, make one's own.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > taking > taking possession > take possession of [verb (reflexive)]

possessa1542

impatronize1575

seize1579

a1542 T. Wyatt Brit. Lib. MS Egerton 2711 86^v4 He had browght this thing abowt & off that lust posest hym sellff.

1589 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1881) 1st Ser. IV. 392 Seiking all meanis and wayes to posses himself in certane hir terce and conjunct fee landis.

1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece Argt. sig. A2^v Lvcius Tarquinius..had possessed himselfe of the kingdome.

1621 M. Wroth Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania 546 Then possest he himselfe with his armes.

1637 T. Nabbes Hannibal & Scipio i. i. sig. B1 Had our Hanniball Possest himselfe of Rome without a Capua, The conquest had beene poore.

1704 Duke of Marlborough Let. 3 Aug. in H. L. Snyder Marlborough–Godolphin Corr. (1975) I. 345 If we succed in this undertaking, and can posses ourselves of Ratisbon, the next thing we shal think of is if possible to attack Ulm.

1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 35. ⁋11 My Lord Orkney received Orders to possess himself of Mortagne.

1781 W. Cowper Truth 490 The soul..Can..Possess herself of all that's good or true, Assert the skies, and vindicate her due.

1885 Sir J. Bacon in Law Times Rep. 52 570/1 All that the plaintiffs did was to possess themselves..of the securities.

1888 F. Pollock & R. S. Wright Possession in Comm. Law 2 No plain man would hesitate to say that a thief possesses himself of the goods carried away.

1924 R. H. Mottram Spanish Farm i. 60 In a moment he had broken into the Railway Transport Office, pushed aside the corporal, possessed himself of the telephone and was trying to get something definite from the hospital as to Georges' destination.

2003 Scotsman (Nexis) 23 May 36 Perhaps Vogts knows things the rest of us do not, for on the face of it he has possessed himself of a new, defiantly self-confident demeanour.

10.

a. transitive. In passive. To be obsessed or deeply affected. Chiefly with with: to be strongly affected with, held in the grip of, or obsessed by (something).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > convince, be convincing [verb (intransitive)] > be convinced > without any doubts

possess1563

to swear by ——a1817

1563 R. Reynolds Foundacion of Rhetorike 27 In Menelaus there was no wisedom, to seke and hunte after Helena..she beyng a harlotte, her loue alienated, her hart possessed with the loue of an other manne.

1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas sig. C.ij^v A poets brayne, possest with layes of loue.

1605 J. Dove Confut. Atheisme 5 When their consciences are possessed with an opinion of hell fire.

a1652 R. Brome Queen & Concubine ii. viii. 38 in Five New Playes (1659) My Lord, I do presume I am unwelcom, Because you are possess'd I never lov'd you.

1661 A. Wood Life & Times (1891) I. 395 Being possest with a deep melancholy,..he fell, as 'twere, downe right mad.

1853 F. D. Maurice Prophets & Kings Old Test. i. 7 He had all his life been possessed with one great conviction.

1969 G. Greene Coll. Ess. II. i. 42 Consider the father..who travelling in England was possessed (during a nervous disorder) by the teaching of Swedenborg and devoted the rest of his life to writing theological books which no one read.

†b. transitive. To influence the opinion of (a person); to predispose. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > bring to belief, convince [verb (transitive)]

persuadec1450

ensurec1500

satisfyc1520

convict1583

forcea1586

move1590

possess1591

secure1602

confirm1607

convince1609

convince1632

induce1655

prepossessa1676

coax1676

1591 W. Raleigh Rep. Fight Iles of Açores sig. A3 Hoping to possesse the ignorant multitude by anticipating and forerunning false reports.

1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Aaa2 Heare is obserued that in all causes the first tale possesseth much.

1681 Arraignm.,Tryal & Condemnation S. Colledge 22 Colledge. Mr. Attorney, I should not interrupt you, if I were not afraid this was spoken to possess the Jury.

1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Possess, to persuade, to inform, to convince.

c. transitive. To imbue, inspire, or affect (a person) strongly or permanently with an idea, feeling, etc.; to cause to be preoccupied or inspired by. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > motivation > motivate [verb (transitive)] > incite or instigate > inspire

inspire1390

embreathea1529

infuse1560

possess1597

inbreathe1883

1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 180 If therefore you will compose in this kind, you must possesse yourselfe with an amorus humour.

1642 Observ. his Maj. Answer to City London Petit. 8 To possesse the people with a fancy against that.

1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. i. 25 What Devil possesses them with such wicked designs?

1710 W. King in J. Swift Corr. (1943) 16 Sept. I. 176 To possess my lord Shrewsbury and Mr. Harley, with the reasonableness of the affair.

1751 C. Lennox Harriot Stuart I. 83 My mother..fearing lest this artifice, as she called it, should incline my father to grant me the favour I asked; possessed him with an opinion, that I was meditating some new stratagem.

1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward I. viii. 143 Some male or female flatterer had, in evil hour, possessed him with the idea that there was much beauty of contour in a pair of huge substantial legs.

1863 W. E. Gladstone Financial Statem. 14 I wish that I could possess the Committee with the impression..of the deep and vital importance of the subject.

1901 ‘G. Douglas’ House with Green Shutters xxv. 291 He so possessed her with his graphic tale that he was allowed to go chuckling back to his potations, while she ran hot-foot to the Green Shutters.

†d. transitive. To create (a prepossessing idea, etc.) in the mind; to insinuate. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > introduction or bringing in > introduce or bring something in [verb (transitive)] > intrude or insinuate

intruse?a1500

ingyre1513

shuffle1565

cog1570

foist1570

wind?1570

obtrudea1575

interject1588

filch?1589

intrude1592

inthrust1605

possess1606

suborna1620

inedge1632

interlopea1641

subintroducteda1641

subintroduce1643

to hedge in1664

insinuate1665

dodge1687

lug1721

assinuate1742

wriggle1766

fudge1776

intertrude1809

injeer1820

protrude1840

sniggle1881

1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. ix. 42 She..possest such a superstitious toy in the heads of the people, that she made them yearly sanctifie a day and keep it holy in remembrance of him.

†e. transitive. To persuade or convince a person that. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > motivation > persuasion > persuade (a person) [verb (transitive)]

leada1225

accoya1375

form1399

persuadec1450

persuadec1487

practise1524

temper1525

work1532

suade1548

perduce1563

to draw on1567

overdraw1603

possess1607

bring1611

sway1625

tickle1677

tamper1687

to touch up1796

to put the comether on someone1818

1607 T. Middleton Michaelmas Terme i. sig. A4 You haue easily possest me I am free.

1712 J. Arbuthnot John Bull Still in Senses iii. 12 He had possess'd the Lady, that he was the only Man in the World, of a sound, pure and untainted Constitution.

1747 S. Fielding Familiar Lett. David Simple I. 278 From the time I went away, my Mother had constantly possessed her, that I did so.

†11. transitive. To provide (a person) with knowledge or information; to apprise of, acquaint with, instruct in; (also) to give to understand that. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person)

to teach a person a thingc888

meanOE

wiseOE

sayOE

wittera1225

tellc1225

do to witc1275

let witc1275

let seec1330

inform1384

form1399

lerea1400

to wit (a person) to saya1400

learn1425

advertise1431

givec1449

insense?c1450

instruct1489

ascertain1490

let1490

alighta1500

advert1511

signify1523

reform1535

advise1562

partake1565

resolve1568

to do to ware1594

to let into one's knowledge1596

intellect1599

possess1600

acquainta1616

alighten1615

recommenda1616

intelligence1637

apprise1694

appraise1706

introduce1741

avail1785

prime1791

document1807

to put up1811

to put a person au fait of1828

post1847

to keep (someone) straight1862

monish1866

to put next to1896

to put (one) wise (to)1896

voice1898

in the picture1900

to give (someone) a line on1903

to wise up1905

drum1908

hip1932

to fill (someone) in on1945

clue1948

background1961

to mark a person's card1961

to loop in1994

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 34 I haue possest your grace of what I purpose.

1607 G. Wilkins Miseries Inforst Mariage i. B ij b I haue possest you with this businesse Maister Doctor.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 123 If hee had any more to possesse the King he should first acquaint him, and consequently haue an answer.

1666 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 72 He beforehand possest the Vicecancellor that I would help him.

1682 News from France 9 They are very careful to possess all people in such secret methods as they dare venture on.

a1790 B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1981) i. 67 Our Debates possess'd me so fully of the Subject, that I wrote and printed an anonymous Pamphlet on it.

1860 A. C. Swinburne Queene-mother i. iii. 23 For the king's self, I have half possessed him of the deeds to be, And he hath nothing blenched.

1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters viii. 201 Contriving to possess her fellow-conspirators..of all the particulars of his behaviour.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	possess
释义	possessv. Brit. /pəˈzɛs/, U.S. /pəˈzɛs/ Inflections: Past tense and past participle possessed, (chiefly archaic) possest, possesst; Forms: Middle English–1600s possesse, Middle English–1700s posses, Middle English– possess, 1600s poscesse, 1600s possese, 1800s– posess (irregular); Scottish pre-1700 pocess, pre-1700 posess, pre-1700 posses, pre-1700 possese, pre-1700 possesse, pre-1700 1700s– possess. Also past tense and past participle 1500s–1700s posest, 1500s– possest (now archaic); Scottish pre-1700 pocest, pre-1700 posseist, pre-1700 posseste. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French possesser. Etymology: < Middle French possesser to own, to enjoy (1306 in Old French; 1269 as possessier ; 1311 as possessir ), Middle French possesseir (1336), to have as a moral quality (1464–1506), to dominate (1566) < classical Latin possess- , past participial stem of possidēre to hold as property, to have as a quality, to occupy as a tenant, to occupy, inhabit, to take up (a space), to engross, to overwhelm, to influence strongly, to dominate, to take control of, to seize, to exercise power over, to gain sexual possession of (a woman) ( < potis (see posse n.¹) + sedēre to sit: see sedent adj.), perhaps immediately after Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French possesseur possessor n., possession possession n. Compare possede v.The regular Old French reflex of possidēre is posseer, posseir, posseoir. I. With the person or thing possessed as object. 1. a. transitive. To own, to have or gain ownership of; to have (wealth or material objects) as one's own; to hold as property. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > have or possess [verb (transitive)] holda855 haveeOE feoffc1330 werec1330 possede1392 possess1394 to be seized (seised) of or with1477 get1611 rejoice1822 1394 in Collectanea Topographica & Genealogica (1836) III. 256 (MED) Tho hadde we possessid of the forsaid londys..a Reles by the forsaid Sir Guy..of al his riht to the same londys. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 508 The expense of alle hise ricchessis now of him possessid and had. c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 70 (MED) He tretiþ goddis good to bi it aȝens goddis licence..bi cause he may not possesse it. a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 121 Thocht all this warld thow did posseid, Nocht eftir death thow sall possess. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xii. f. xcvj^v For no mannes life stondeth in the haboundaunce of the thynges which he possesseth. 1612 J. Webster White Divel sig. G It is reported you possesse a booke Wherein you haue quoted, by intelligence, The names of all notorious offenders. 1685 Lady Russell Lett. (1819) I. 68 I was too rich in possessions whilst I possessed him. 1722 W. Wollaston Relig. of Nature vii. 146 The little plots, which the several families possess, and cultivate. 1785 W. Paley Princ. Moral & Polit. Philos. iii. i. iv. 102 It is..‘consistent with the will of God’, or ‘right’, that I should possess that share which these regulations assign me. 1818 C. Burney in S. Parr Wks. (1828) VIII. 643 Garrard is the only book on the Siglarian subject that I possess. 1881 J. A. Froude Short Stud. (1883) IV. ii. ii. 187 He could not give to others what he did not himself possess. 1922 S. Lewis Babbitt xxi. 260 The secretary had the distinction of possessing State Motor Car License Number 5. 1991 Photo Answers Apr. 17/4 Bulldog clips are among the most important bits of kit photographers of fashion can possess. b. transitive. To hold or enjoy (something non-material); to have as an attribute, property, condition, etc.; to be characterized by (a quality, characteristic, etc.). ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > have or possess [verb (transitive)] > possess a condition or position haveOE hold1340 rejoicec1390 beara1393 possess?a1425 acquire1474 pack1925 ?a1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iii. pr. x. 54 Somthing possessyng in itself parfyt good schulde be more worthy than God. c1450 tr. Jan van Ruusbroec Treat. Perfection Sons of God (BL Add.) (1957) 257 (MED) So we schalle ascende than frome vertewe to verteue..and so fynally possesse trewe consyance. 1573 G. Gascoigne Disc. Aduentures Master F. I. in Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 263 She shoulde not onely leese the good credite which she hir selfe had hitherto possessed, but furthermore should distayne their whole race with common obloquy and reproch. 1576 A. Fleming tr. C. Matius in Panoplie Epist. 115 The residue of my lyfe will I lead in Rhodes, where I may possesse peace and quietnes. 1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. B And let not him possesse anothers right. 1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo sig. C4^v A siluer tongue..that, when I approach, Within the presence of this demy Goddesse, I may posses an adimanticke power. 1685 Lady Russell Lett. (1819) I. 81 My weakness is invincible, which makes me, as you phrase it,..possess past calamities. 1744 J. Harris Three Treat. iii. i. 134 No Animal..possesses its Faculties in vain. 1778 J. Beattie Let. to Rev. H. Blair 27 Church-musick, like other outward circumstances relating to Divine Worship, cannot be supposed to possess any intrinsic sanctity. 1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) III. xxv. 367 Notwithstanding the ample means of information which they possest, great ignorance and many erroneous opinions prevailed. 1852 F. W. Robertson Serm. 3rd Ser. xviii. 236 The writhings of a heart that has been made to possess its own iniquities. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. vi. 46 The former may possess many times the intensity of the latter. 1889 Times 27 Sept. 5/4 An elaborate hidated survey, which possesses a peculiar value from its reference to the Domesday survey. 1925 F. S. Fitzgerald Great Gatsby ix. 212 Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life. 1956 W. S. Churchill Hist. Eng.-speaking Peoples II. iv. vi. 63 She was..slightly pock-marked, but was said to possess wit and animation, and did not over-indulge in beer. 1971 I. Metzker & D. L. Levy tr. Bintel Brief 95 Those men who are opposed to giving women the same rights they possess are acting from tyrannical instincts. 2001 Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent) (Electronic ed.) 14 Jan. Birkir Kristinsson underlined his growing reputation as possessing the proverbial safe pair of hands between the posts. †c. transitive. To have knowledge or command of (a language, subject, or skill); to be familiar with, conversant in. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > familiarity > know, be conversant with [verb (transitive)] witc888 yknoweOE witOE canOE knowOE kenc1330 acquainta1393 quaint1509 understand1541 to summer and winter1602 possess1607 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > scholarly knowledge, erudition > intellectual command, mastery > have mastery of [verb] canOE knowc1300 to be mistress ofc1440 possess1607 soak1937 1607 T. Heywood Woman Kilde with Kindnesse sig. B^v My humor is not compendious: dancing I possese not, though I can foote it. 1789 W. Belsham Ess. I. xii. 217 Making an empty parade of knowledge which we do not really possess. 1796 Ld. Glenbervie Diaries (1928) I. 104 He has indeed a great memory for poetry and classical knowledge of every sort, and possesses a great deal of general literature. 1839 W. C. Harris Wild Sports S. Afr. ii. 11 This..individual..possessed a fair smattering of the English and Sichuana languages. 1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond I. iii. 65 Harry..possessed the two languages of French and English very well. 1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. i. 39 Every critic should try and possess one great literature, at least, besides his own. d. transitive. Law. To have possession of, as distinct from ownership (see possession n. 1b); esp. to hold or occupy as a tenant, to lease. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal possession > possess in law [verb (transitive)] > distinct from own possess1758 1758 Caledonian Mercury 9 Sept. A Farm..lying six Miles South of Edinburgh, within the Parish and Barony of Primrose, the Property of the Earl of Roseberry, and possessed by John Hasty. 1888 F. Pollock & R. S. Wright Possession in Comm. Law 36 The King is not unfrequently spoken of as being seised or possessed of the crown. 1888 F. Pollock & R. S. Wright Possession in Comm. Law 2 The person entitled to possess is generally (though not always) the owner. 2003 Internat. Financial Law Rev. (Nexis) 22 80 If a person has for 20 years peaceably and openly possessed real property with the intent to own it, he can acquire legal ownership of the real property upon registration thereof. 2. †a. transitive. Of a person or body of people: to hold or occupy (a place or territory); to reside or be stationed in; to inhabit (with or without ownership). Also intransitive. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > [verb (transitive)] wonOE erdeOE inwonea1300 inhabitc1374 indwell1382 occupya1387 biga1400 endwellc1420 possessc1450 purprise1481 people1490 dwell1520 accompany?c1525 replenishc1540 populate1578 habit1580 inhabitate1600 tenant1635 improvec1650 manure1698 society > law > transfer of property > putting in possession > put (a person) in possession [verb (transitive)] feoffc1290 seizec1290 enseisec1420 inseisinc1440 possessc1450 seisinc1450 vest1464 c1450 Speculum Christiani (Harl. 6580) (1933) 70 (MED) Nouther a-voutres..ne sodomytes, oppressers and defoulers of menchyldre, schal possesse the kyngdome of god. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 105 (MED) This londe of Iuda was promisede to oure faderes, but not utterly possessedde. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 431 b/2 How now..we possessen pesably our royame without ony werre. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Josh. xxiv. A I gaue..Esau mount Seir to possesse [moūt in text]. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xlvij^v Colledges..were fyrst founded for the pore, but now for the most part they possesse them, which haue enough besides. 1585 R. Grenville Let. 25 Oct. in Cal. State Papers Coll. Series I. 4 I haue possessed and peopled the same to her Majesties vse, And planted it wth suche cattell & beastes as are fitte and necessary for manuringe the Countrey. a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. v. 48 Let instructions enter Where Folly now possesses . View more context for this quotation 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 431 Dominion giv'n Over all other Creatures that possesse Earth, Aire, and Sea. View more context for this quotation 1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. 2 The City of Destruction, a populous place, but possessed with a very ill conditioned, and idle sort of People. View more context for this quotation 1704 in A. Morgan Univ. Edinb. Charters (1937) 155 The best chambers in the colledge, which wer useually possesst by childring of noblemen..are now otherwayes inhabited. 1713 R. Steele Guardian No. 6. ⁋3 The whole shire is now possessed by gentlemen, who owe Sir Harry a part of Education. 1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 115 We would not let them see..what a vast Extent of Land we possess there with a few Men. †b. transitive. Of a thing: to occupy, take up (a space or region); to be situated at, on, or in. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > presence > fact of taking up space > take up (space or a place) [verb (transitive)] hold1297 occupyc1384 purprise1481 furnishc1500 people1597 possess1604 enharbour1613 tenant1670 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iii. xiii. 159 The waves of the South sea, runne 30 leagues, and the other 70 are possessed with the billowes and waves of the North sea. c1620 A. Hume Of Orthogr. Britan Tongue (1870) i. ix. §5 The acute [accent]..may possesse the last syllab:..The penult:..The antepenult:..And the fourth also from the end. 1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 205 The Addition of four Foot will be filled up and possessed by the Walls and Clay-work. 1755 B. Martin Mag. Arts & Sci. v. 22 The Solar System, in which you see the Sun possesses nearly the central Point. 1870 D. G. Rossetti Poems 4 When those bells Possessed the mid-day air.] †c. transitive. Of a disease, etc.: to affect; to infect. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > cause to be ill [verb (transitive)] > affect or afflict aileOE takec1300 visitc1340 troublec1400 vex?c1425 surprise1485 vizy1488 attaintc1534 heart-burn?1537 molest1559 gar1614 possess1617 misaffect1618 corrept1657 invalid1803 1617 J. Woodall Surgions Mate 134 If the palsie possesse the opposite part. 1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) at Achor A disease possessing the hairy scalp. 1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 266 An error..which has possess'd the Copies of this Play. 1839 P. M. Taylor Confessions of Thug III. xvi. 385 A kind of burning fever possessed me; my blood felt hot as it coursed through my veins. d. transitive. To take up the time or attention of; to occupy, engross. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > attention > attracting attention > engage the attention [verb (transitive)] > hold attention, absorb swallowc1330 deepc1380 dare1547 suspend1561 preoccupy1567 devour1568 to swallow up1581 enwrap1589 invest1601 steep1603 to take up1603 spell1646 possess1653 enchain1658 engross1661 absorb1749 fix1752 rivet1762 fascinate1782 spell-bind1808 arrest1814 mesmerize1862 to turn on1903 get1913 consume1999 1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler vi. 134 To enjoy the former pleasures that there possest him. View more context for this quotation 1692 J. Locke Toleration iv, in Wks. (1727) III. 464 Affairs of State which wholly possess them when grown up. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 9 The..innocent Amusements..which before entirely possest me, were nothing to me. 1987 J. Graham End of Beauty 28 The meadow, the meadow hums, love, with the planes, as if every last blade of grass were wholly possessed by this practice, wholly prepared. 3. transitive. Of an idea, attitude, etc.: to take hold of (a person), to have a hold over (a person); to affect or influence strongly and persistently; to actuate, dominate, control. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > bring to belief, convince [verb (transitive)] > of idea, etc.: dominate possessc1460 to take possession1567 c1460 Tree & 12 Frutes (McClean) (1960) 114 (MED) Vnmylde folk..ben not had and possessid of god with in hem self but ben from hem self and had and possessid of ire and wraith. 1581 W. Fowler Wks. (1936) II. 30 If ather honesty might mouit thé, or ressoun had possessit thee. a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. i. 207 My eares are stopt, & cannot hear good newes, So much of bad already hath possest them. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 204 What a strange drowsines possesses them? View more context for this quotation 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. xi. 44 Which Tuscan superstition seasing upon Rome hath since possessed all Europe. View more context for this quotation 1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. xviii. 175 I fell into a Quagmire; but I knew not what possest me to ride afterward into another on purpose. 1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 3 This [suspicion] possess'd the Heads of the People very much. 1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. vii. 43 Henry, possessed..with an high idea of his own power and importance. 1773 H. More Search after Happiness ii Though more to folly than to guilt inclined, A drear vacuity possess'd my mind. 1814 Gonzanga i. i, in J. Galt New Brit. Theatre III. 102 What can possess this young lord to be out of his bed at this hour? 1880 L. Wallace Ben-Hur 31 In a mood very different from that which now possesses them. 1918 A. G. Gardiner Leaves in Wind 211 I had a strange dream last night. Like most dreams, it was a sort of wild comment on the thought that had possessed me in my waking hours. 1983 A. Mason Illusionist i. 37 The music would not let him stop: it possessed him, it had become the blood that pulsed in his veins. 1997 P. Carey Jack Maggs (1998) lxxxviii. 320 Why would you come here when you could perfectly well walk up Long Acre? What possessed you? 4. transitive. Of a demon or spirit, esp. an evil one: to occupy and have power over (a person, animal, etc.); to control or dominate from within. Frequently in passive with by, with, †of. Cf. obsess v. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [verb (intransitive)] > possess (of demon) beset1483 possessa1513 the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > evil spirit or demon > [verb (transitive)] > possess or assail (a person) rideeOE possede1392 obsess1440 possessa1513 indevil1604 inspirit1675 endiableea1734 bedevil1834 bespirit1862 a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Radegunde (c1525) 18 Howe blessyd Radegunde delyuered a woman possessyd with a fynde from daunger and payne to helth and prosperite. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. iv. f. v Them that were possessed with devils. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke viii. f. lxxxviij He that was possessed of the devyll. 1596 Bp. W. Barlow tr. L. Lavater Three Christian Serm. i. 23 The Hogges without leaue [of God the Father]..he coulde not possesse. 1612 T. Dekker If it be not Good iii. ii. 5 I am possest with the diuell and cannot sleepe. a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iii. iv. 85 If all the diuels of hell be drawne in little, and Legion himselfe possest him, yet Ile speake to him. View more context for this quotation 1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. viii. 38 Thought by the Jewes to be possessed either with a good, or evill spirit. 1705 T. Hearne Ductor Historicus (ed. 2) I. iii. 228 Some are of Opinion..that Abel slew the very same Serpent the Devil had formerly possessed. 1727 D. Defoe Syst. Magick i. ii. 55 A Set of People who were not possess'd by, but rather, as it may be called, are possess'd of the Devil. a1798 T. Pennant Tour on Continent (1948) 39 Loup garou is ane which kills children. The common people at present say that this kind is now possessed with a Jesuit. 1850 F. W. Robertson Serm. 3rd Ser. ix. 113 The spirit which possessed him must be, they thought, divine. 1854 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity I. iii. vii. 470 A woman eats a lettuce without making the sign of the cross; she is possessed by a devil. 1902 W. E. A. Axon in Trans. Royal Soc. Lit. 2nd Ser. 23 99 Belfagor..undertook to possess a rich lady, and not to be exorcised save by Matteo. 1919 J. Conrad Arrow of Gold iv. iv Had I lived in the Middle Ages I am certain I would have believed that a talking bird must be possessed by the devil. 1990 L. Picknett Encycl. Paranormal 61/2 Many hallucinations show a disturbing similarity to the evil—or benign—spirits that in the annals of demonology sought to possess, or influence, the afflicted. 5. a. transitive. To take possession of, seize, grasp; to come into possession of, obtain, gain, win. Now archaic and literary. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)] wieldeOE haveeOE ofgoOE oweOE addlec1175 winc1175 avela1200 to come by ——a1225 covera1250 oughtc1275 reachc1275 hentc1300 purchasec1300 to come to ——c1330 getc1330 pickc1330 chevise1340 fang1340 umbracec1350 chacche1362 perceivea1382 accroacha1393 achievea1393 to come at ——a1393 areach1393 recovera1398 encroach?a1400 chevec1400 enquilec1400 obtainc1422 recurec1425 to take upc1425 acquirea1450 encheve1470 sortise1474 conques?a1500 tain1501 report1508 conquest1513 possess1526 compare1532 cough1550 coff1559 fall1568 reap1581 acquist1592 accrue1594 appurchasec1600 recoil1632 to get at ——1666 to come into ——1672 rise1754 net1765 to fall in for1788 to scare up1846 access1953 the mind > possession > taking > taking possession > take possession of [verb (transitive)] take?a1160 seizec1290 raima1325 to take in possessiona1325 to hent in (also upon) handa1350 occupya1382 to take possession?a1425 to take upc1425 uptakec1425 to take in1523 possess1526 master1826 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xxi. 19 With your pacience possesse your soules. [1611 King James In your patience possesse ye your soules. 1382 Wycliffite, E.V., ȝe schulen welde ȝoure soulis. 1881 R.V. ye shall win your souls]. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. F3 A companie of rattes vpon a soddayne possest his house. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. iii. sig. Ee5^v How to effect so hard an enterprize, And to possesse the purpose they desird. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 93 There thou maist braine him, Hauing first seiz'd his bookes... Remember First to possesse his Bookes. View more context for this quotation 1649 O. Cromwell in T. Carlyle Lett. & Speeches (1871) II. 227 Upon Thursday the One-and-thirtieth, I possessed a Castle called Kilkenny. 1700 R. Blackmore Paraphr. Job xxxi. 135 If ever I another's Acres till'd, Ever my Houses with his Harvest fill'd, Or to possess his Goods my Neighbour kill'd: Let Thistles fill my Fields, instead of Wheat. 1764 S. Foote Mayor of Garret i. 9 Turning down a narrow lane..in order to possess a pig's-stye, that we might take the gallows in flank. 1866 M. G. Currie Gabriel West & Other Poems 37 There the possessor stands, Grown prematurely old; Plebeians all possess his lands And misers grasp his gold. 1876 L. Morris Epic of Hades ii. 40 The strong brute forces..leap on him, and seize him, and possess His life. 1954 I. Murdoch Under Net vii. 104 If you have ever visited the City of London in the evening you will know what an uncanny loneliness possesses these streets which during the day are so busy and noisy. 1956 A. Ginsberg Howl 23 We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier. b. transitive. To gain sexual possession of (a woman); to have sexual intercourse with. Also intransitive.In some quots. difficult to distinguish from sense 6. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity [verb (intransitive)] > have sexual intercourse > specifically of a man to hit the master-vein1592 possess1592 to get one's leg over1599 roger1763 to have one's way with1884 to dip (one's) wick1958 to lay pipe1967 the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with > specifically of a man jape1382 overliec1400 swivec1405 foilc1440 overlay?a1475 bed1548 possess1592 knock1598 to get one's leg over1599 enjoy1602 poke1602 thrum1611 topa1616 riga1625 swingea1640 jerk1650 night-work1654 wimble1656 roger1699 ruta1706 tail1778 to touch up1785 to get into ——c1890 root1922 to knock up1934 lay1934 pump1937 prong1942 nail1948 to slip (someone) a length1949 to knock off1953 thread1958 stuff1960 tup1970 nut1971 pussy1973 service1973 1592 T. Kyd Spanish Trag. i. sig. A2 By duteous seruice and deseruing loue, In secret I possest a worthy dame. a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iv. i. 136 Now tell me how long you would haue her, after you haue possest her? View more context for this quotation 1680 Earl of Rochester et al. Poems 87 Mad to possess himself he threw, On the defenceless lovely Maid! 1719 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth IV. 332 And tho' I let Loobies, Oft finger my Bubbies: Who think when they Kiss me, That they shall possess me. 1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage Gil Blas II. v. ii. 197 The four banditti expressed an equal desire of possessing the lady who had fallen into their hands, and talked of casting lots for her. 1876 Romance of Lust IV. 39 Her delight and surprise at finding the dear Egerton had equally desired to possess her. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 472 All the male brutes that have possessed her. 1961 Partisan Rev. 28 648 A conflict having to do with father-murder and the wish to possess the father's woman. 1987 J. Uglow George Eliot x. 165 Once he possesses her his awe is replaced by the desire to master her independent spirit. 6. transitive. Chiefly literary and poetic. To control or have dominion over (a person, a person's heart, mind, or soul). ΚΠ 1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) vii. 14 Hence hairt..For quhy thow art with hir possest. 1579 H. Chettle Forrest of Fancy sig. 3^v Peraduenture, because I am a yong manne, and haue but little to take vnto, you thinke I woulde if I were once possessed of you, seeke onely to liue vppon that which you haue. 1642 A. Ross Mel Heliconium 20 So run my soul, untill thou be possess'd Of thy belov'd, and of eternall rest. 1677 A. Behn Abdelazar i. ii. 12 So perfectly thou dost possess my soul, That ev'ry wish of thine shall be obey'd. 1688 J. Crowne Darius iii. 35 You possess my Heart, though I've lost yours. a1784 H. Alline Hymns & Spiritual Songs (1802) iv. lxxxii. 213 Let Jesus all my life control, To bid false loves adieu; Let him alone possess my soul, And ev'ry foe subdue. 1796 M. G. Lewis Monk II. iv. 8 ‘Be generous, Alphonso,’ she said; ‘you possess my heart, but use not the gift ignobly.’ 1826 M. W. Shelley Last Man I. iv. 136 Take me—mould me to your will, possess my heart and soul to all eternity. 1993 J. Laughlin Man in Wall 99 I am hers she possesses me because I (with age) have lost much of my memory but she can recall..everything that we did together years ago. 7. transitive. To keep or maintain (oneself, one's mind or soul) in a specified state or condition. Also (without in): to maintain control over, to keep calm or steady. Cf. self-possessed adj.Often used in allusion to Luke 21:19 (with the correct sense being misunderstood: see quot. 1526² at sense 4). ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > control oneself or the emotions [verb (transitive)] govern1340 sober1390 obtempera1492 refrain?1521 control1568 obtemperate1575 command1586 smother1594 subject1620 controla1627 possess1643 reduce1643 devour1650 stiflea1683 to wrestle down1808 1643 J. Evelyn Jrnl. 2 May in Mem. (1818) I. 30 Resolving to possess myselfe in some quiet,..I built..a study,..at Wotton. 1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. ii. 27 All Christians..are obliged to passive obedience, to possess their souls in patience. 1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 137. ⁋1 Uneasy Persons, who cannot possess their own Minds. 1749 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 22 May (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1349 A man who does not possess himself enough to hear disagreeable things without visible marks of anger..is at the mercy of every artful knave. 1890 Mrs. E. Lynn Linton in Chambers's Jrnl. 4 Oct. 625/1 Every man worthy of the name of man should know how to possess his soul—bearing with patience those things which energy cannot change. 1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps vi. 137 I tried to possess my soul in patience, and to forget how hungry I was. 2001 Boston Globe (Nexis) 8 Nov. d1 Naipaul, 69, shrugs off the idea that the Nobel [prize] will affect him. ‘I live very privately,’ he says, ‘so I can possess myself.’ Self-possession has been a touchstone..of Naipaul's life. II. With the person caused to possess something as object. †8. transitive. Chiefly with in. To enter (a person) into possession or lawful occupancy of property or a position (sometimes formally, by the performance of a symbolic action). Obsolete. ΚΠ 1402 in J. Slater Early Scots Texts (Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Edinb.) (1952) No. 55 Fra he hafe bene possessit in the said landis. a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 291 (MED) Edwardeus Dai gracia..God hathe chose the to be his knyt And posseside the in thi right. 1576 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1878) 1st Ser. II. 518 To enter and possess the said Nicoll in his saidis landis. 1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. viii. 39 He deposed Arimba from his kingly seat, and possessed Alexander therein. 1687 in J. R. Bloxham Magdalen Coll. & James II (1886) 178 Hee thought the Bishop illegally possest. 1708 in Phenix II. 241 Then the Just..shall be possess'd in the fulness of their Glory. 1814 R. Lindesay Chron. 184 He obtained the earldome of Marr from the King, and was possest in the same. 9. a. transitive. In passive. To be in possession of; to be endowed with. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > be in possession [verb (intransitive)] possess1415 to be in possession of1603 1415 T. Hoccleve Addr. to Sir John Oldcastle l. 170 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 13 Our goode fadres olde Possessid were..of Crystes feith. 1438 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1835) V. 103 (MED) Johan Scurlag..was by oure lettres patentz presentid to the said tresourie and of þe same..longe time pesibly possessed. 1449–53 in E. M. Carus-Wilson Overseas Trade Bristol in Later Middle Ages (1937) 93 (MED) John Wyche of Brystowe, merchaunt..was possessed of a ship called the Mary of Bristowe. 1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xv. xlii Creta was somtyme possessyd wyth [a1398 BL Add. bihiȝte wiþ] an hundryd noble cytees. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II ii. i. 163 The plate..and moueables Whereof our Vnckle Gaunt did stand possest . View more context for this quotation 1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets xxix. sig. C3 Featur'd like him, like him with friends possest . View more context for this quotation 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 137 They found the Spaniards possessed of the Towne. 1683 London Bully 28 I had been about a year possessed of this Calling, and was in my Masters esteem. 1762 in Shropshire Parish Reg., Lichfield II. (Kenley) 35 Jan. 10. Mr. John Bodler, p. of Longnor, was bur. at Kenley, posest with nothing at all. 1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. iii. 108 He..of her And her's possest, shall bear them safe away. 1809 S. T. Coleridge Friend 12 Oct. 138 Every human being possessed of Reason. 1863 W. E. Gladstone Wedgwood 38 The active vigorous English workman, possessed of all his limbs. 1932 E. G. M. Fletcher in D. O. Shilton & R. Holworthy High Court of Admiralty Exam. 1637–8 Introd. p. xxi Unaided by a regular system of lighthouses, possessed with no proper charts, [etc.] those who set forth on a voyage 300 years ago engaged in a calling, the dangers, difficulties and adventure of which are entirely unknown to those who sail the seas to-day. 1988 Smithsonian Stud. Amer. Art Fall 30/1 Possessed rather of a ‘hideous beauty,’ the storefront is an ambivalent symbol. 2002 Washington Post 23 Nov. (Home ed.) d12/1 NFL players are certainly possessed of toughness. †b. transitive. To endow or invest (a person) with; to put in possession of; to give to, bestow upon. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > giving > give [verb (transitive)] > cause to be possessed > put in possession of possess1475 impatronize1575 advest1611 1475 Rolls of Parl. VI. 147/1 All Castelles..Tenementes..whereof she..was seased or possessed in hir owne right, state, or possession. 1515 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 33 The inquest..ordanit thaim to posses Wolle with the ayrschip of umquhyll Mungo Broun. c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) i. 15 He possessis vthir pure pepil..vitht the samyn reches. 1584 W. Warner Pan his Syrinx vii. xcvii. sig. R3^v So well did I thinke of the man, that vtterlye dispossessing my selfe, I wholie possessed him of mine intiere substaunce. a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. xi. 21 I will possesse you of that ship and Treasure. View more context for this quotation 1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 2 By possessing our souls of true vertue. c1650 J. Spalding Memorialls Trubles Scotl. & Eng. (1851) II. 142 Efter removeing of his wyf fra Spynnie, the Erll of Morray possessit his sister sone..thairwith. 1658 R. Allestree Pract. Christian Graces; or, Whole Duty of Man vii. §7. 162 By possessing his heart with this vertue of contentedness. 1784 J. Reynolds Disc. Royal Acad. (1876) xii. 55 It is better to possess the model with the attitude you require. 1789 T. Jefferson Let. 3 June in Papers (1958) XV. 166 I have thought it better to possess him immediately of the paper. c. transitive (reflexive). To take possession of; to take for oneself, make one's own. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > taking > taking possession > take possession of [verb (reflexive)] possessa1542 impatronize1575 seize1579 a1542 T. Wyatt Brit. Lib. MS Egerton 2711 86^v4 He had browght this thing abowt & off that lust posest hym sellff. 1589 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1881) 1st Ser. IV. 392 Seiking all meanis and wayes to posses himself in certane hir terce and conjunct fee landis. 1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece Argt. sig. A2^v Lvcius Tarquinius..had possessed himselfe of the kingdome. View more context for this quotation 1621 M. Wroth Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania 546 Then possest he himselfe with his armes. 1637 T. Nabbes Hannibal & Scipio i. i. sig. B1 Had our Hanniball Possest himselfe of Rome without a Capua, The conquest had beene poore. 1704 Duke of Marlborough Let. 3 Aug. in H. L. Snyder Marlborough–Godolphin Corr. (1975) I. 345 If we succed in this undertaking, and can posses ourselves of Ratisbon, the next thing we shal think of is if possible to attack Ulm. 1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 35. ⁋11 My Lord Orkney received Orders to possess himself of Mortagne. 1781 W. Cowper Truth 490 The soul..Can..Possess herself of all that's good or true, Assert the skies, and vindicate her due. 1885 Sir J. Bacon in Law Times Rep. 52 570/1 All that the plaintiffs did was to possess themselves..of the securities. 1888 F. Pollock & R. S. Wright Possession in Comm. Law 2 No plain man would hesitate to say that a thief possesses himself of the goods carried away. 1924 R. H. Mottram Spanish Farm i. 60 In a moment he had broken into the Railway Transport Office, pushed aside the corporal, possessed himself of the telephone and was trying to get something definite from the hospital as to Georges' destination. 2003 Scotsman (Nexis) 23 May 36 Perhaps Vogts knows things the rest of us do not, for on the face of it he has possessed himself of a new, defiantly self-confident demeanour. 10. a. transitive. In passive. To be obsessed or deeply affected. Chiefly with with: to be strongly affected with, held in the grip of, or obsessed by (something). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > convince, be convincing [verb (intransitive)] > be convinced > without any doubts possess1563 to swear by ——a1817 1563 R. Reynolds Foundacion of Rhetorike 27 In Menelaus there was no wisedom, to seke and hunte after Helena..she beyng a harlotte, her loue alienated, her hart possessed with the loue of an other manne. 1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas sig. C.ij^v A poets brayne, possest with layes of loue. 1605 J. Dove Confut. Atheisme 5 When their consciences are possessed with an opinion of hell fire. a1652 R. Brome Queen & Concubine ii. viii. 38 in Five New Playes (1659) My Lord, I do presume I am unwelcom, Because you are possess'd I never lov'd you. 1661 A. Wood Life & Times (1891) I. 395 Being possest with a deep melancholy,..he fell, as 'twere, downe right mad. 1853 F. D. Maurice Prophets & Kings Old Test. i. 7 He had all his life been possessed with one great conviction. 1969 G. Greene Coll. Ess. II. i. 42 Consider the father..who travelling in England was possessed (during a nervous disorder) by the teaching of Swedenborg and devoted the rest of his life to writing theological books which no one read. †b. transitive. To influence the opinion of (a person); to predispose. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > bring to belief, convince [verb (transitive)] persuadec1450 ensurec1500 satisfyc1520 convict1583 forcea1586 move1590 possess1591 secure1602 confirm1607 convince1609 convince1632 induce1655 prepossessa1676 coax1676 1591 W. Raleigh Rep. Fight Iles of Açores sig. A3 Hoping to possesse the ignorant multitude by anticipating and forerunning false reports. 1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Aaa2 Heare is obserued that in all causes the first tale possesseth much. View more context for this quotation 1681 Arraignm.,Tryal & Condemnation S. Colledge 22 Colledge. Mr. Attorney, I should not interrupt you, if I were not afraid this was spoken to possess the Jury. 1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Possess, to persuade, to inform, to convince. c. transitive. To imbue, inspire, or affect (a person) strongly or permanently with an idea, feeling, etc.; to cause to be preoccupied or inspired by. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > motivation > motivate [verb (transitive)] > incite or instigate > inspire inspire1390 embreathea1529 infuse1560 possess1597 inbreathe1883 1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 180 If therefore you will compose in this kind, you must possesse yourselfe with an amorus humour. 1642 Observ. his Maj. Answer to City London Petit. 8 To possesse the people with a fancy against that. 1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa i. i. 25 What Devil possesses them with such wicked designs? 1710 W. King in J. Swift Corr. (1943) 16 Sept. I. 176 To possess my lord Shrewsbury and Mr. Harley, with the reasonableness of the affair. 1751 C. Lennox Harriot Stuart I. 83 My mother..fearing lest this artifice, as she called it, should incline my father to grant me the favour I asked; possessed him with an opinion, that I was meditating some new stratagem. 1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward I. viii. 143 Some male or female flatterer had, in evil hour, possessed him with the idea that there was much beauty of contour in a pair of huge substantial legs. 1863 W. E. Gladstone Financial Statem. 14 I wish that I could possess the Committee with the impression..of the deep and vital importance of the subject. 1901 ‘G. Douglas’ House with Green Shutters xxv. 291 He so possessed her with his graphic tale that he was allowed to go chuckling back to his potations, while she ran hot-foot to the Green Shutters. †d. transitive. To create (a prepossessing idea, etc.) in the mind; to insinuate. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > introduction or bringing in > introduce or bring something in [verb (transitive)] > intrude or insinuate intruse?a1500 ingyre1513 shuffle1565 cog1570 foist1570 wind?1570 obtrudea1575 interject1588 filch?1589 intrude1592 inthrust1605 possess1606 suborna1620 inedge1632 interlopea1641 subintroducteda1641 subintroduce1643 to hedge in1664 insinuate1665 dodge1687 lug1721 assinuate1742 wriggle1766 fudge1776 intertrude1809 injeer1820 protrude1840 sniggle1881 1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. ix. 42 She..possest such a superstitious toy in the heads of the people, that she made them yearly sanctifie a day and keep it holy in remembrance of him. †e. transitive. To persuade or convince a person that. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > motivation > persuasion > persuade (a person) [verb (transitive)] leada1225 accoya1375 form1399 persuadec1450 persuadec1487 practise1524 temper1525 work1532 suade1548 perduce1563 to draw on1567 overdraw1603 possess1607 bring1611 sway1625 tickle1677 tamper1687 to touch up1796 to put the comether on someone1818 1607 T. Middleton Michaelmas Terme i. sig. A4 You haue easily possest me I am free. 1712 J. Arbuthnot John Bull Still in Senses iii. 12 He had possess'd the Lady, that he was the only Man in the World, of a sound, pure and untainted Constitution. 1747 S. Fielding Familiar Lett. David Simple I. 278 From the time I went away, my Mother had constantly possessed her, that I did so. †11. transitive. To provide (a person) with knowledge or information; to apprise of, acquaint with, instruct in; (also) to give to understand that. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person) to teach a person a thingc888 meanOE wiseOE sayOE wittera1225 tellc1225 do to witc1275 let witc1275 let seec1330 inform1384 form1399 lerea1400 to wit (a person) to saya1400 learn1425 advertise1431 givec1449 insense?c1450 instruct1489 ascertain1490 let1490 alighta1500 advert1511 signify1523 reform1535 advise1562 partake1565 resolve1568 to do to ware1594 to let into one's knowledge1596 intellect1599 possess1600 acquainta1616 alighten1615 recommenda1616 intelligence1637 apprise1694 appraise1706 introduce1741 avail1785 prime1791 document1807 to put up1811 to put a person au fait of1828 post1847 to keep (someone) straight1862 monish1866 to put next to1896 to put (one) wise (to)1896 voice1898 in the picture1900 to give (someone) a line on1903 to wise up1905 drum1908 hip1932 to fill (someone) in on1945 clue1948 background1961 to mark a person's card1961 to loop in1994 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 34 I haue possest your grace of what I purpose. View more context for this quotation 1607 G. Wilkins Miseries Inforst Mariage i. B ij b I haue possest you with this businesse Maister Doctor. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 123 If hee had any more to possesse the King he should first acquaint him, and consequently haue an answer. 1666 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 72 He beforehand possest the Vicecancellor that I would help him. 1682 News from France 9 They are very careful to possess all people in such secret methods as they dare venture on. a1790 B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1981) i. 67 Our Debates possess'd me so fully of the Subject, that I wrote and printed an anonymous Pamphlet on it. 1860 A. C. Swinburne Queene-mother i. iii. 23 For the king's self, I have half possessed him of the deeds to be, And he hath nothing blenched. 1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters viii. 201 Contriving to possess her fellow-conspirators..of all the particulars of his behaviour. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < v.1394
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