possessive

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English

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Etymology

From Middle French possessif, from Latin possessivus (“of or pertaining to possession”), from possessiō (“possessing”), from possidēre (“to possess”). By surface analysis, possess +‎ -ive.

Pronunciation

Adjective

possessive (comparative more possessive, superlative most possessive)

  1. Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.
  2. (grammar) Indicating ownership, possession, origin, etc.
  3. Unwilling to yield possession of.
    He is very possessive of his car.

Translations

Noun

possessive (countable and uncountable, plural possessives)

  1. (grammar) The possessive case.
  2. (grammar) A word used to indicate the possessive case.
    • 2023 June 1, Geoffery Nunberg, “The Nation: Parts of Speech; The Bloody Crossroads of Grammar and Politics”, in The New York Times‎:
      Take the rule about pronouns and possessives that Mr. Keegan cited in his challenge to the testing service.
    • 2024 August 10, Remy Tumin, “Is It Harris’ or Harris’s? Add a Walz, and It’s Even Trickier.”, in The New York Times‎:
      The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal all do the opposite, opting for ’s to mark a singular possessive and a simple apostrophe for plural possessive (Harrises’ and Walzes’).

Derived terms

Translations

See also

French

Adjective

possessive

  1. feminine singular of possessif

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

possessive

  1. inflection of possessiv:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

possessive

  1. feminine plural of possessivo

Latin

Adjective

possessīve

  1. vocative masculine singular of possessīvus
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