Where does “possess” come from?

Possess comes from Middle English possessen, from Old French possesser, from Latin possessus, past participle of possidēre meaning "to have or hold," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sed- meaning "to sit."

possess (English): To have; to have ownership of; To take control of...

Definitions

  1. To have; to have ownership of; To take control of...

Ancestry of “possess”, step by step

possess traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English possessen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpossessen—
2Middle Frenchpossesserto possess
3Old Frenchpossesserto possess
4Latinpossessuspossessed; seized
5Latinpossideōto have, hold, own, possess
6Latinpotisable, capable, possible
7Proto-Italicpotismaster, in control of
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpótismaster, ruler; husband
9Proto-Indo-Europeanph₃tis—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₃-to drink

via French posséder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchposséderto own; to possess
2Middle Frenchpossiderto own; to possess
3Old Frenchporseoirto possess, own
4Latinpossidēre—

Words derived from “possess”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₃- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₃tis →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pótis →