Where does “prepossessingly” come from?
prepossessingly (English) comes from English prepossessing, from English prepossess, from English possess, from Middle English possessen, from Middle French possesser, from Old French possesser, from Latin possessus, from Latin possideō — to drink.
prepossessingly (English): in a prepossessing manner
Definitions
- in a prepossessing manner
Ancestry of “prepossessingly”, step by step
prepossessingly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English prepossessing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | prepossessing | Tending to invite favor; attracting confidence,... |
| 2 | English | prepossess | To preoccupy, as ground or land; to take previous... |
| 3 | English | possess | To have; to have ownership of; To take control of... |
| 4 | Middle English | possessen | — |
| 5 | Middle French | possesser | to possess |
| 6 | Old French | possesser | to possess |
| 7 | Latin | possessus | possessed; seized |
| 8 | Latin | possideō | to have, hold, own, possess |
| 9 | Latin | potis | able, capable, possible |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | potis | master, in control of |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |