obsessional
UK[əbˈsɛʃənəl]US[əbˈsɛʃənəl]
adj
Relating to or characteristic of an obsession; thinking about something or someone too much or in a way that is not normal
Morpheme Breakdown
obsess
ion
al
obsess
to haunt, besiege
ion
noun suffix
al
adjective suffix
Etymology
The adjective 'obsessional' is built upon the noun 'obsession'. Its core, 'obsess', originates from the Latin verb obsidēre, meaning 'to besiege' (from ob- 'against' + sedēre 'to sit'). The literal image is of an enemy army sitting down before a town, blockading it. This concrete military sense evolved metaphorically in ecclesiastical Latin to describe a state of being assailed or haunted by an evil spirit. By the 16th century, in English, it took on the psychological meaning of a persistent, dominating idea that besieges the mind. The suffix -ion turns the verb into a noun denoting the state or condition, and -al subsequently converts that noun into an adjective, describing anything characterized by such a state of mental siege.
Analysis
Structure: obsess (to haunt, besiege) + ion (noun suffix) + al (adjective suffix)
- obsess: From Latin obsess-, past participle stem of obsidēre meaning 'to besiege, occupy'.
- ion: A suffix of Latin origin forming nouns denoting action or condition.
- al: A suffix of Latin origin forming adjectives meaning 'of or pertaining to'.
Examples
His cleaning routines had become obsessional and severely disrupted his daily life.
She has an obsessional fear of contamination, which leads to excessive hand-washing.
The writer's obsessional focus on minute details is evident in every paragraph of the novel.