Possessing

How to spell possessing

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce possessing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does possessing mean?

1. verbOwning or having something as one's own, or having a particular quality or feature.

Possessing in a sentence

• Anyone possessing a valid ticket may board the early train.

• The officer charged him with possessing stolen goods.

Where does possessing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the present participle of the verb 'possess', which English took from the Old French 'possesser' in the late 1300s, itself drawn from the Latin verb 'possidere', meaning 'to occupy, hold, or own'. The Latin form combined 'potis', meaning 'able' or 'having power', with 'sedere', meaning 'to sit', so the literal idea was something like 'to sit as master over' a piece of property. Over time the legal sense of holding land or goods broadened into the everyday meaning of simply owning or having something. The same 'sedere' root for 'sit' sits quietly inside many English words, including 'session', 'sedentary', and 'reside'. The notorious spelling trap is the run of sibilants: a double 's' in the middle and a double 's' before the ending, giving four esses in all, with the participle '-ing' added cleanly to the base.

How the word is built

• possess (to own, from Latin possidere: to occupy, hold)
• -ing (present participle suffix)