possessing
UK[pəˈzɛsɪŋ]US[pəˈzɛsɪŋ]
v
(present participle of possess) Having or owning something.
v
(present participle of possess) Having a particular quality, feature, or ability.
v
(present participle of possess) (of a demon or spirit) Having control over a person.
Morpheme Breakdown
pos
sess
ing
pos
able, powerful, having mastery
sess
to sit
ing
Etymology
The verb 'possess' originates from the Latin 'possidēre', a compound of 'potis' ('able, powerful, master') and 'sedēre' ('to sit'). The literal sense was 'to sit as master', 'to occupy and hold'. This concrete notion of physical control and occupation passed through Old French 'possesser' into Middle English, evolving into the more abstract legal and personal meanings of ownership and control. The '-ing' suffix is the native English grammatical marker that transforms the verb into its present participle or gerund form, describing the state or action of having or holding.
Analysis
Structure: pos + sess + ing
- pos: A variant of the Latin prefix 'potis-' or 'pos-', meaning 'able, powerful, having mastery'.
- sess: From Latin 'sedere', meaning 'to sit'. Here, it is a variant form of 'sidere/sessum', implying 'to settle, to be seated'.
- ing: The English present participle suffix, indicating an ongoing action or state.
Examples
She was charged with possessing stolen property.
He is a leader possessing great wisdom and charisma.
The idea of a house possessing a malevolent spirit is common in horror stories.