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possessivus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word possessivus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 35–96 Quintilian
Ultimate origin
Latin possideō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin potis
Latin possideō
Spanish poseer
French posséder
Italian possedere
Latin possessīvus
English possessive
Spanish posesivo
From the same root
Latin compos ← potis
Latin impos ← potis
Latin possīdō ← potis
Latin possum ← potis
Latin potestās ← potis
Latin possessiō ← possideō
Latin possessor ← possideō

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [pɔs.sɛsˈsiː.wʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [pos.sesˈsiː.vus][1]

Forms

possessīvus (feminine possessīva, neuter possessīvum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin possideō (“to possess”) + -īvus.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in Quintilian, as a term of grammar: a word indicating possession, used where a patronymic stands for a possessive or the other way round.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It remained a grammarians' word.[4][5] Quintilian applies it to pronouns such as meus and tuus,[4] Charisius to possessive nouns such as Ciceronianus,[4] and Priscian calls the genitive the casus possessivus.[4][6]

British medieval Latin also used it outside grammar for “possessing”: Wyclif calls a created spirit possessive of the highest good.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of words indicating possession.[2][3]
  • 6th century AD – Priscian calls the genitive the possessive case.[4][6][3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (grammar) Indicating possession, possessive; as a noun, a possessive noun or pronoun.[2][4][7]
  2. (grammar) casus possessivus: the genitive case.[4][6]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Possessing, that possesses.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Possessivus.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/possessivus. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·