possession

Forms

possession f (plural possessions)^[1] Old French possessïun (about 1120), possession from the middle of the 12th century;^[2][3] Anglo-Norman also possessioun and posession.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin possessiō (“fact of possessing, enjoyment, property, taking possession”), to serve as the action noun of the Old French verbs corresponding to posséder.^[5][3][6] The Latin noun is from the supine of possideō (“to possess”).^[3][3][2] Christian Latin also used it for the state of being possessed by a demon.^[5][3] The English word possession comes from the Old French word and directly from Latin.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Cambridge Psalter (about 1120; the TLFi dates the record to the mid-12th century) has possessïun in the concrete sense “what one owns, property”.^[5][3][2]

Semantic evolution

From “property” the word went back to the active sense of the Latin, the fact of owning (1190), found in être en possession de (1260), prendre possession de (14th century) and, in law, prise de possession (1690).^[3][2] It was extended to holding a title or office (16th century) and to having someone's love (1580); Montaigne uses it for a man's sexual possession of a woman, and since 1679 it has also meant a hold over another person's feelings.^[3][5]

The religious sense of a person possessed by a demon seems to date from the affair of the Ursulines of Loudun (1632–1634); the Académie records it in 1694, and psychiatry later took it up.^[3][5] Since 1732 grammar uses it for the relation expressed by possessives.^[3][8] English borrowed the word in the mid-14th century.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Possessïun “property” in the Cambridge Psalter.^[3][2]
• 1190 – Active sense “fact of owning”.^[3][8]
• 1260 – Être en possession de is recorded.^[3][2]
• Mid-14th century – English borrows possession.^[7]
• 1580 – Montaigne uses it for possessing a lover.^[3]
• 1632–1634 – The Loudun possessions give the sense “possession by a demon”.^[3]
• 1690 – Furetière records prise de possession.^[2][3]
• 1694 – The Académie records the demonic sense.^[5]
• 1732 – Grammatical use for the relation of possessives.^[3][8]

Meanings

Noun

1. The fact of possessing, having at one's disposal: être en possession de, entrer en possession de, prendre possession de.^[8][5][9]
2. (law) Actual control of a thing, as distinct from ownership: En fait de meubles, la possession vaut titre.^[8][9]
3. Command or knowledge of something abstract;^[8] possession de soi self-control, en pleine possession de ses moyens at one's best.^[8]
4. The enjoyment of a thing or pleasure, as opposed to desire; the possession of a lover.^[8][3]
5. (religion) The state of being possessed by a demon or supernatural being;^[8][5] (psychiatry) a delusion of being so possessed.^[8][5]
6. (grammar) The relation expressed by possessives.^[8]
7. A thing possessed;^[8][3] possessions property, lands; a colonial dependency of a state.^[8][3]

Word family

• dépossession
• possessionné

Related words

• posséder
• possesseur
• possessif
• Latin possessiō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 236b
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette