Where does “prepossessingness” come from?
prepossessingness (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.
prepossessingness (English): The quality of being prepossessing
Definitions
- The quality of being prepossessing
Ancestry of “prepossessingness”, step by step
prepossessingness 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 |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |