possessed
Use Possessed in a sentence
adjective
Idioms 1.
spurred or moved by a strong feeling, madness, or a supernatural power (often followed by by, of, or with ): The army fought as if possessed. The village believed her to be possessed of the devil.
2.
self-possessed; poised.
3.
possessed of, having; possessing: He is possessed of intelligence and ambition.
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Possessed
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
to have as belonging to one; have as property; own: to possess a house and a car.
2.
to have as a faculty, quality, or the like: to possess courage.
3.
(of a spirit, especially an evil one) to occupy, dominate, or control (a person) from within: He thought he was possessed by devils.
4.
(of a feeling, idea, etc.) to dominate or actuate in the manner of such a spirit: He was possessed by envy.
5.
(of a man) to succeed in having sexual intercourse with.
6.
to have knowledge of: to possess a language.
7.
to keep or maintain (oneself, one's mind, etc.) in a certain state, as of peace, patience, etc.
8.
to maintain control over (oneself, one's mind, etc.).
9.
to impart to; inform; familiarize (often followed by of or with ): to possess someone of the facts of the case.
10.
to cause to be dominated or influenced, as by an idea, feeling, etc.
11.
to make (someone) owner, holder, or master, as of property, information, etc.: He possessed them of the facts.
12.
to seize or take.
13.
to gain or win.
14.
to occupy or hold.
Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English possesen < Middle French possess(i)er, noun derivative of possession possession
1425–75; late Middle English possesen < Middle French possess(i)er, noun derivative of possession possession
Related forms
pos·ses·sor, noun
pos·ses·sor·ship, noun
un·der·pos·ses·sor, noun
un·pos·sess·ing, adjective
Possessed, The
noun
a novel (1871) by Dostoevsky.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To possessed
Collins
World English Dictionary
possess (pəˈzɛs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to have as one's property; own |
| 2. | to have as a quality, faculty, characteristic, etc: to possess good eyesight |
| 3. | to have knowledge or mastery of: to possess a little French |
| 4. | to gain control over or dominate: whatever possessed you to act so foolishly? |
| 5. | ( |
| 6. | ( |
| 7. | to have sexual intercourse with |
| 8. | rare to keep control over or maintain (oneself or one's feelings) in a certain state or condition: possess yourself in patience until I tell you the news |
| 9. | archaic to gain or seize |
| [C15: from Old French possesser, from Latin possidēre to own, occupy; related to Latin sedēre to sit] | |
| pos'sessor | |
| —n | |
| possessed (pəˈzɛst) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | ( |
| 2. | (usually postpositive) under the influence of a powerful force, such as a spirit or strong emotion |
| 3. | a less common word for self-possessed |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
possess
mid-15c., "to hold, occupy, reside in" (without regard to ownership), from O.Fr. possessier (mid-13c.), from L. possess-, pp. stem of possidere "to possess." Meaning "to hold as property" is recorded from c.1500. Demonic sense is recorded from 1530s (implied in possessed). Possessive first attested 1520s
in grammatical sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The snow has possessed the mountains.
She was skittish, unfocussed, possessed by a demonic energy that would surge up and then quickly exhaust itself.
She could be his younger sister, for all the energy she possessed.
Those who possessed a full suit probably spent little, or no, time actually fighting in it.
Nearby Words
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