Where does “possessor” come from?
Possessor comes from Middle English possessour, from Old French possesseur, from Latin possessor, agent noun of possidēre meaning "to hold or occupy," from potis meaning "able" and sedēre meaning "to sit."
possessor (English): Agent noun of possess; one who possesses
Definitions
- Agent noun of possess; one who possesses
Ancestry of “possessor”, step by step
possessor traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English possess
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | possess | To have; to have ownership of; To take control of... |
| 2 | Middle English | possessen | — |
| 3 | Middle French | possesser | to possess |
| 4 | Old French | possesser | to possess |
| 5 | Latin | possessus | possessed; seized |
| 6 | Latin | possideō | to have, hold, own, possess |
| 7 | Latin | potis | able, capable, possible |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | potis | master, in control of |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |
via English ‐or
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ‐or | Creates an agent noun, often from a verb, indicating a person or object (often machines or parts of them) that do the verb or part of speech with which they are formed |
| 2 | Middle English | -our | — |
| 3 | Old French | -eor | Alternative form of -or |
| 4 | Latin | -ator | -ator, -er; second-person singular future passive... |
| 5 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |