Law. actual holding or occupancy, either with or without rights of ownership.
5.
a thing possessed: He packed all his possessions into one trunk.
6.
possessions, property or wealth.
7.
a territorial dominion of a state.
8.
Sports.
a.
physical control of the ball or puck by a player or team: He didn't have full possession when he was tackled.
b.
the right of a team to put the ball into play: They had possession after the other team sank a free throw.
9.
control over oneself, one's mind, etc.
10.
domination, actuation, or obsession by a feeling, idea, etc.
11.
the feeling or idea itself.
[Origin: 1300–50; ME < L possessiōn- (s. of possessiō) occupancy, act of occupying, equiv. to possess(us), ptp. of possidére to have in one's control, occupy (and, in active sense, ptp. of posīdere to seize upon) (*pots-, akin to posse to be able + -sidére, comb. form of sedére to sit1; cf. host1) + -iōn--ion]
1340, "act or fact of possessing," also "that which is possessed," from L. possessionem (nom. possessio), from pp. stem of possidere "to possess." Legal property sense is earliest; demonic sense first recorded 1590.
Main Entry: pos·ses·sion Pronunciation: p&-'ze-sh&n Function: noun 1: the act, fact, or condition of having control of something:
as a:ACTUAL POSSESSION in this entry b:CONSTRUCTIVE POSSESSION in this entry c: knowing dominion and control over a controlled substance or
other contraband din the civil law of Louisiana: the detention or enjoyment of a corporeal thing e: control or occupancy of property
actual
possession 1: direct occupancy, use, or control of real property <had actual possession of the land despite a lack of legal title> 2: direct
physical custody, care, or control of property or contraband (as illegal drugs) <actual possession is not necessary to sustain a conviction —State v. Garrison, 896 South Western
Reporter, Second Series 689 (1995)>adverse possession : actual possession of another's real property that is open, hostile, exclusive, continuous, adverse to the claim of the
owner, often under a claim of right or color of title, and that may give rise to title in the possessor if carried out for a specified statutory period (as ten years); also: the method
of acquiring title by such possession —see also HOSTILE POSSESSION and, NOTORIOUS POSSESSION in this entry —compare PRESCRIPTIONcivil possession in the civil law of Louisiana: possession that exists by virtue of an intent to be the owner of a property even though
one no longer occupies or has physical control of itconstructive possession 1: possession that exists by virtue of a right (as by title) rather than direct occupancy or
control 2: the knowing ability and sometimes intent to exercise dominion and control over something (as illegal drugs) either directly or through othershostile
possession : possession (as in adverse possession) that is antagonistic to the claims of all others (as a record owner) and that is carried out with the intention to possess the property
exclusivelynotorious possession : possession (as in adverse possession) that is so conspicuous that it is generally known by people in the vicinity of the property and so gives
rise to a presumption that the owner has notice of itprecarious possession in the civil law of Louisiana: possession of property that is exercised by another (as a
lessee) with the permission of or on behalf of the owner —see also acquisitive prescription at PRESCRIPTION 2: something controlled, occupied, or owned <personal possessions>
Pos*ses"sion\, n. [F. possession, L. possessio.]1. The act or state of possessing, or holding as one's own. 2. (Law) The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command; actual seizin or occupancy; ownership, whether rightful or wrongful. Note: Possession may be either actual or constructive; actual, when a party has the immediate occupancy; constructive, when he has only the right to such occupancy. 3. The thing possessed; that which any one occupies, owns, or controls; in the plural, property in the aggregate; wealth; dominion; as, foreign possessions. When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. --Matt. xix. 22. Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. --Acts v. 1. The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. --Ob. 17. 4. The state of being possessed or controlled, as by an evil spirit, or violent passions; madness; frenzy; as, demoniacal possession. How long hath this possession held the man? --Shak. To give possession, to put in another's power or occupancy. To put in possession. (a) To invest with ownership or occupancy; to provide or furnish with; as, to put one in possession of facts or information. (b) (Law) To place one in charge of property recovered in ejectment or writ of entry. To take possession, to enter upon, or to bring within one's power or occupancy. Writ of possession (Law), a precept directing a sheriff to put a person in peaceable possession of property recovered in ejectment or writ of entry.
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