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dispossessed

 - 6 dictionary results

dis⋅pos⋅sessed

  [dis-puh-zest]
–adjective
1. evicted, as from a dwelling, land, etc.; ousted.
2. without property, status, etc., as wandering or displaced persons; rootless; disfranchised.
3. having suffered the loss of expectations, prospects, relationships, etc.; disinherited; disaffiliated; alienated: The modern city dweller may feel spiritually dispossessed.
Use dispossessed in a Sentence
Origin:
1590–1600; dispossess + -ed 2

dis⋅pos⋅sess

  [dis-puh-zes]
–verb (used with object)
1. to put (a person) out of possession, esp. of real property; oust.
2. to banish.
3. to abandon ownership of (a building), esp. as a bad investment: Landlords have dispossessed many old tenement buildings.
Origin:
1425–75; dis- 1 + possess; r. ME disposseden, equiv. to dis- 1 + posseden (< OF posseder) < L possidēre; see possess

Related forms:
dis⋅pos⋅ses⋅sion, noun
dis⋅pos⋅ses⋅sor, noun
dis⋅pos⋅ses⋅so⋅ry  [dis-puh-zes-uh-ree] , adjective

Synonyms:
1. See strip 1 .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To dispossessed
dis·pos·sess   (dĭs'pə-zěs')   
tr.v.   dis·pos·sessed, dis·pos·sess·ing, dis·pos·sess·es
To deprive (another) of the possession or occupancy of something, such as real property.
dis'pos·ses'sion (-zěsh'ən) n., dis'pos·ses'sor n., dis'pos·ses'so·ry (-zěs'ə-rē) adj.
dis·pos·sessed   (dĭs'pə-zěst')   
adj.  

  1. Deprived of possession.

  2. Spiritually impoverished or alienated.

dis'pos·sessed' n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

dispossess 
1494, from O.Fr. despossesser "to dispossess," from des- "dis-" + possesser "possess."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: dis·pos·sess
Pronunciation: "dis-p&-'zes
Function: transitive verb
: to put out of possession or occupancy —compare EVICT —dis·pos·ses·sion /-'ze-sh&n/ noun —dis·pos·ses·sor /-'ze-s&r/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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