n
1300–50; Middle English < Latin possessiōn- (stem of possessiō) occupancy, act of occupying, equivalent to possess(us), past participle of possidēre to have in one's control, occupy (and, in active sense, past participle of posīdere to seize upon) (*pots-, akin to posse to be able + -sidēre, combining form of sedēre to sit1; compare host1) + -iōn- -ion
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| to bring against, as a formal charge against a person; to bring formally to the notice of the proper authority, as an offense |
| an agreement between parties involved in a dispute, to abide by the decision of an arbitrator or arbitrators |
- People have always had myths of demonic possession.
- Most of us understand what it is like to have an emotional connection with a cherished possession.
- One might even say that all romance novels involve alien possession.
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possession
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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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