un-possessive

pos·ses·sive

[puh-zes-iv]
adjective
1.
jealously opposed to the personal independence of, or to any influence other than one's own upon, a child, spouse, etc.
2.
desirous of possessing, especially excessively so: Young children are so possessive they will not allow others to play with their toys; a possessive lover.
3.
of or pertaining to possession or ownership.
4.
Grammar.
a.
indicating possession, ownership, origin, etc. His in his book is a possessive adjective. His in The book is his is a possessive pronoun.
b.
noting or pertaining to a case that indicates possession, ownership, origin, etc., as, in English, John's in John's hat.
noun Grammar.
5.
the possessive case.
6.
a form in the possessive.
00:10
Un-possessive is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

Origin:
1520–30; < Latin possessīvus. See possess, -ive

pos·ses·sive·ly, adverb
pos·ses·sive·ness, noun
non·pos·ses·sive, adjective
non·pos·ses·sive·ly, adverb
non·pos·ses·sive·ness, noun
un·pos·ses·sive, adjective
un·pos·ses·sive·ly, adverb
un·pos·ses·sive·ness, noun

possessive, possessory.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To un-possessive
Collins
World English Dictionary
possessive (pəˈzɛsɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  of or relating to possession or ownership
2.  having or showing an excessive desire to possess, control, or dominate: a possessive mother
3.  grammar
 a.  another word for genitive
 b.  denoting an inflected form of a noun or pronoun used to convey the idea of possession, association, etc, as my or Harry's
 
n
4.  grammar
 a.  the possessive case
 b.  a word or speech element in the possessive case
 
pos'sessively
 
adv
 
pos'sessiveness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

possessive definition


The case of a noun or pronoun that shows possession. Nouns are usually made possessive by adding an apostrophe and s: “The bicycle is Sue's, not Mark's.” Possessive pronouns can take the place of possessive nouns: “The bicycle is hers, not his.” (See nominative case and objective case.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT