King James Bible Dictionary

POSSESS', verb transitive [Latin possessus, possideo, a compound of po, a Russian preposition, perhaps by, and sedeo, to sit; to sit in or on.

1. To have the just and legal title, ownership or property of a thing; to own; to hold the title of, as the rightful proprietor, or to hold both the title and the thing. A man may possess the farm which he cultivates, or he may possess an estate in a foreign country, not in his own occupation. He may possess many farms which are occupied by tenants. In this as in other cases, the original sense of the word is enlarged, the holding or tenure being applied to the title or right, as well as to the thing itself.

2. To hold; to occupy without title or ownership.

I raise up the Chaldeans, to possess the dwelling-places that are not theirs. Habakkuk 1:6.

Neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own. Acts 4:32.

3. To have; to occupy. The love of the world usually possesses the heart.

4. To seize; to gain; to obtain the occupation of.

The English marched towards the river Eske, intending to possess a hill called Under-Eske.

5. To have power over; as an invisible agent or spirit.

Luke 8:36.

Beware what spirit rages in your breast;

For ten inspired, ten thousand are possess'd.

6. To affect by some power.

Let not your ears despise my tongue,

Which shall possess them with the heaviest sound

That ever yet they heard.

To possess of, or with, more properly to possess of, is to give possession, command or occupancy.

Of fortune's favor long possess'd

This possesses us of the most valuable blessing of human life, friendship.

To possess one's self of, to take or gain possession or command; to make one's self master of.

We possessed ourselves of the kingdom of Naples.

To possess with, to furnish or fill with something permanent; or to be retained.

It is of unspeakable advantage to possess our minds with an habitual good intention.

If they are possessed with honest minds.

POSSESS'ED, participle passive Held by lawful title; occupied; enjoyed; affected by demons or invisible agents.

POSSESS'ING, participle present tense Having or holding by absolute right or title; occupying; enjoying.

[DEMONIACS]

POSSES'SION, noun The having, holding or detention of property in one's power or command; actual seizin or occupancy, either rightful or wrongful. One man may have the possession of a thing, and another may have the right of possession or property.

If the possession is severed from the property; if A has the right of property, and B by unlawful means has gained possession this is an injury to adjective This is a bare or naked possession

In bailment, the bailee, who receives goods to convey, or to keep for a time, has the possession of the goods, and a temporary right over them, but not the property. Property in possession includes both the right and the occupation. Long undisturbed possession is presumptive proof of right or property in the possessor.

1. The thing possessed; land, estate or goods owned; as foreign possessions.

The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Obadiah 1:17.

When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:22.

2. Any thing valuable possessed or enjoyed. Christian peace of mind is the best possession of life.

3. The state of being under the power of demons or invisible beings; madness; lunacy; as demoniacal possession

Writ of possession a precept directing a sheriff to put a person in peaceable possession of property recovered in ejectment.

To take possession to enter on, or to bring within one's power or occupancy.

To give possession to put in another's power or occupancy.

POSSES'SION, verb transitive To invest with property. [Not used.]

POSSES'SIONER, noun One that has possession of a thing, or power over it. [Little used.]

POSSESS'IVE, adjective [Latin possessivus.] Pertaining to possession; having possession.

Possessive case, in English grammar, is the genitive case, or case of nouns and pronouns, which expresses, 1st, possession, ownership, as John's book; or 2dly, some relation of one thing to another, as Homer's admirers.

POSSESS'OR, noun An occupant; one that has possession; a person who holds in his hands or power any species of property, real or personal. The owner or proprietor of property is the permanent possessor by legal right; the lessee of land and the bailee of goods are temporary possessors by right; the disseizor of land and the thief are wrongful possessors.

1. One that has, holds or enjoys any good or other thing.

Think of the happiness of the prophets and apostles, saints and martyrs, possessors of eternal glory.

POSSESS'ORY, adjective Having possession; as a possessory lord.

Possessory action, in law, an action or suit in which the right of possession only, and not that of property, is contested.