Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “possession” come from?

Possession comes from Latin possessio, formed from potis (able, powerful) and the nominalization suffix -tio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sed- (to sit).

possession (English): Control or occupancy of something for which one...

Definitions

  1. Control or occupancy of something for which one...

Ancestry of “possession”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpossessiō—
2Latin-tiō—
3Latindissertātiō—
4Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
5Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
6Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
7Latincalceusshoe
8Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
9Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “possession”

  • dispossession
  • prepossession
  • repossession
  • nonpossession
  • possessional
  • possessionless
  • possessionist
  • possessioner
  • possessionary
  • possessionlessness
  • possessionism
  • possessionistic
  • self-possession
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →