Etymologically
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possess English · revision 13390

17 Oct 2026, 06:19 by bogdan “Link foreign words in the Etymology (relink.py)” current version
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==Etymology==
− It is Middle English possessen, partly a back-formation from [[possession]] (1340) and partly [[bor|fro|possesser|t=to have and hold, take]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Latin possess-, past participle stem of possidēre, to have and hold, own, be master of,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) probably a compound of potis, able, powerful (see [[potent]]), and sedēre, to sit (see [[sit]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) literally to sit as master.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ It is [[inh|enm|possessen]], partly a back-formation from [[possession]] (1340) and partly [[bor|fro|possesser|t=to have and hold, take]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[la|possess-]], past participle stem of [[m|la|possidēre]], to have and hold, own, be master of,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) probably a compound of [[m|la|potis]], able, powerful (see [[potent]]), and [[m|la|sedēre]], to sit (see [[sit]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) literally to sit as master.^(Barnhart 1988)
==Earliest recorded meaning==