Other forms: possessed, possesses, possessing
To possess is the formal word for to own or have. Possess a licence, possessed of great charm, found in possession of.
It is legal and formal: possession of a controlled drug is the charge, and possession is nine tenths of the law is the old saying about who is presumed to own a thing. It also means to control somebody's mind — possessed by a demon, whatever possessed you — where the second is an ordinary exclamation of disbelief. Note possession, possessive, and that in grammar the possessive is the form with an apostrophe.
1verbpossessTo own or have something.
“He doesn't possess a car, so he cycles everywhere.”
2verbtakeTo take control of somebody's mind.
“Whatever possessed her to agree to it is still unclear.”
possess is a having or holding.
Latin possidere is potis, able or master, plus sedere, to sit — to sit as master over something. Possession began as physically occupying a place, which is exactly what the law still means by it.
Proto-Indo-European
*sed-
Proto-Indo-European
*pótis — master; ruler; husband
Latin
possessus — possessed; seized
Old French
possesser
Middle French
possesser
Middle English
possessen — to have, own; to obtain possession of; to inhabit, occupy
English, today
possess
Built from
From Middle English possessen (“to have, own; to obtain possession of; to inhabit, occupy”)posses, possess, possesse, from Middle French possesser, possessier, Old French possesser, possessier (“to have, own, possess; to dominate”), from Latin possessus (“possessed; seized”), the perfect passive participle of possideō (“to have, hold, own, possess; to have possessions; to take control or possession of, occupy, seize; to abide, inhabit, occupy; to dominate”), from potis (“able, capable, possible”) (from Proto-Indo-European pótis (“master; ruler; husband”)) + sedeō (“to sit; to be seated; to be established, hold firm”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sed- (“to sit”)).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA