Possession
/pəˈzɛʃ.ən/noun
The state of owning, having, or controlling something; also, in a supernatural sense, control of a person by a spirit.
Did you know?English possession comes through Latin possessiō, from possidēre, originally meaning “to sit in control of,” so the word’s deepest history is less about ownership and more about forceful occupation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sed-
“to sit”
Latin
Latin
sedēre
“to sit”
Latin
Latin
possidēre
“to sit in control of, occupy; to have or own”
Latin
Latin
possessiō
“a taking possession, ownership”
Old French
Old French
possession
“ownership, holding, property”
Middle English
English
possession
“ownership; control; state of being possessed by a spirit”
Modern English
English
possession
“the state of owning, having, or controlling something; also, supernatural control by a spirit”