pos·ses·sion   (pə-zěsh'ən)    n.   The act or fact of possessing. The state of being possessed. Physical control of the ball or puck by a player or team. The condition of being on offense: The home team was in possession during most of the fourth quarter. Something owned or possessed. possessions Wealth or property. Law Actual holding or occupancy with or without rightful ownership. A territory subject to foreign control. Self-control. The state of being dominated by or as if by evil spirits or by an obsession. Sports Physical control of the ball or puck by a player or team. The condition of being on offense: The home team was in possession during most of the fourth quarter. pos·ses'sion·al adj.

possession 

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 d in the civil law of Louisiana : the detention or enjoyment of a corporeal thing e : control or occupancy of property

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actual possession
1 : direct occupancy, use, or control of real property 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)>

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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 PRESCRIPTION

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civil 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 it

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constructive 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 others

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hostile 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 exclusively

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notorious 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 it

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precarious 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 possessions>

possession

in law, the acquisition of either a considerable degree of physical control over a physical thing, such as land or chattel, or the legal right to control intangible property, such as a credit-with the definite intention of ownership. With respect to land and chattel, possession may well have started as a physical fact, but possession today is often an abstraction. A servant or an employee, for instance, may have custody of an object, but he does not have possession; his employer does, even though he may be thousands of miles from the object he owns. Furthermore, except in the most abstract way, it is not possible to speak of the possession of intangible property.

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