Possessive

Possessive

Adjective & noun · /pəˈzɛsɪv/ · of ownership, control, or grammatical belonging

Definition

Possessive describes a state of ownership, holding, or controlling. As an adjective it can describe a grammatical form indicating belonging — my, your, his — or a person who demands exclusive control over someone or something. Both senses share the same root: the act of possessing.

Origin

From Latin possessivus, from possidere (to possess), itself from potis (able, master) + sedere (to sit). To possess was literally to sit as master over something. The grammatical sense came first into English via medieval Latin grammar writing; the psychological sense — jealous, controlling — emerged strongly in the 18th and 19th centuries.