| possess | 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." "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) Synonym: To have, hold, occupy, control, own. 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. Origin: L. Possessus, p. P. Of possidere to have, possess, from an inseparable prep. (cf. Position) + sedere to sit. See Sit. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| posset | 1. To curdle; to turn, as milk; to coagulate; as, to posset the blood. 2. To treat with possets; to pamper. "She was cosseted and posseted." Origin: Posseted; Posseting. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| possibility | Origin: F. Possibilite, L. Possibilitas. 1. The quality or state of being possible; the power of happening, being, or existing. "All possibility of error." . "Latent possibilities of excellence." 2. That which is possible; a contingency; a thing or event that may not happen; a contingent interest, as in real or personal estate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| possible | Capable of existing or occurring, or of being conceived or thought of; able to happen; capable of being done; not contrary to the nature of things; sometimes used to express extreme improbability; barely able to be, or to come to pass; as, possibly he is honest, as it is possible that Judas meant no wrong. "With God all things are possible." (Matt. Xix. 26) Synonym: Practicable, likely. See Practicable. Origin: F, fr. L. Possibilis, fr. Posse to be able, to have power; potis able, capable + esse to be. See Potent, Am, and cf. Host a landlord. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| possibly | In a possible manner; by possible means; especially, by extreme, remote, or improbable intervention, change, or exercise of power; by a chance; perhaps; as, possibly he may recover. "Can we . . . Possibly his love desert?" (Milton) "When possibly I can, I will return." (Shak) Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| possum | <zoology> An opossum. To play possum, To act possum, to feign ignorance, indifference or inattention, with the intent to deceive; to dissemble; in allusion to the habit of the opossum, which feigns death when attacked or alarmed. Origin: Shortened from opossum. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |