possesso

Forms

possesso m (plural possessi)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin possessus (“possession”) (genitive possessūs), the noun formed from the past participle of possideō (“to possess”).^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} Devoto explains it as an abstract noun of possideō that became concrete and was felt almost as a past participle.^[8] Wiktionary instead treats it as inherited from possessus.^[1]

possideō is a compound of potis (“able”) and sedeō (“to sit”).^[1] The same family gave possedere, and the learned words possessore, possessivo and possessorio.^[6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in the poet Saviozzo, before 1420, in the plural for landed estates.^[9][10] Nocentini dates the word to the 14th century, and Zingarelli to before 1374.^[2][11]

Semantic evolution

The general sense, the act or state of possessing, is dated by DELI from Annibal Caro, before 1566, and DEI cites Davanzati and Caro in the 16th century.^[9][6] Davanzati's Tacitus says that the gods had given the possession (il possesso) to the Parthians.^[12]

In law the word came to mean the factual power over a thing, exercised as if one owned it, whether or not one does;^[12][10][4] Tommaseo already defines it as mere detention, which can become a source of rights.^[12][10][4] Figurative uses followed, mastery of oneself or of a subject or a language, and the sexual possession of a woman.^[10][13][14]

Timeline

• Before 1374 – Zingarelli's date of first record.^[11]
• Before 1420 – Saviozzo uses possessi for landed estates.^[9]
• Before 1566 – Annibal Caro uses possesso for the act of possessing.^[9]
• 1861 – Tommaseo–Bellini defines the legal sense.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. possession, ownership: the power to dispose freely of a thing one owns or uses, or to exercise a right: il possesso di una licenza.^[10][3][11]
2. (law) The factual power over a thing, exercised as if one had ownership or another real right, whether or not one has it.^[10][11][14]
3. (chiefly plural) Landed property, estates; colonies, possessions overseas.^[10][13][15]
4. (figurative) Mastery, control: essere nel pieno possesso delle proprie facoltà, to be in full command of one's faculties.^[10][3][11]
5. (figurative) Thorough knowledge of a subject or a language.^[10][13][14]
6. Sexual union, seen as the taking of a woman by a man.^[10][13][11]
7. (philosophy) In Aristotle, any predicative or existential relation.^[10]

Word family

• impossessarsi
• compossesso
• spossessare
• dispossessare

Related words

• possedere
• possessione
• possessivo
• possessore
• Latin possideō

Usage notes

Common phrases are in possesso di (holding, in possession of), entrare in possesso (to come into possession) and prendere possesso (to take possession, also of an office).^[10][3][14] An obsolete possesso, a learned past participle of possedere used for posseduto, meant “possessed”, especially by the devil.^[10][4][16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
5. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
6. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3036
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ a b c d Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
14. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
16. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 13, 1049