possess

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• Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /pəˈzɛs/
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• California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australian, New-Zealand: /pəˈzes/
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• rhymes with -ɛs
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• CMU ARPABET: P AH0 Z EH1 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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PIE word *pótis From Middle English possessen (“to have, own; to obtain possession of; to inhabit, occupy”) [and other forms], 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”)).

125 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: مَلَكَ (malaka) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Arabic: اِمْتَلَكَ (imtalaka) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Arabic: تَمَلَّكَ (tamallaka) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Arabic: حَازَ (ḥāza) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Armenian: տիրապետել (tirapetel) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Armenian: ունենալ (unenal) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Azerbaijani: malik *imək — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Belarusian: вало́даць (valódacʹ) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Breton: perc'hennañ — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Bulgarian: владе́я (vladéja) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Bulgarian: притежа́вам (pritežávam) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Catalan: posseir — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Chinese Mandarin: 抱有 (bàoyǒu) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Chinese Mandarin: 具备 (jùbèi) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Chinese Mandarin: 具有 (jùyǒu) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Chinese Mandarin: 所有 (suǒyǒu) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Chinese Mandarin: 具備 /具备 (jùbèi) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Chinese Mandarin: 擁有 /拥有 (yōngyǒu) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Czech: vlastnit — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Danish: besidde — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Danish: eje — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Dutch: bezitten — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Esperanto: posedi — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Esperanto: havi — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Faroese: eiga — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Finnish: olla — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Finnish: omata — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Finnish: omistaa — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• French: posséder — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Galician: posuír — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Galician: ter — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Georgian: ფლობს (plobs) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• German: besitzen — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (aigan) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Gothic: 𐌳𐌹𐍃𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (disniman) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Greek: διαθέτω (diathéto) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Greek: έχω (écho) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Greek: κατέχω (katécho) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Ancient Greek: κέκτημαι (kéktēmai) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Hungarian: bír — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Hungarian: birtokol — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Hungarian: rendelkezik — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Hungarian: van — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Icelandic: eiga — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Indonesian: memiliki — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Old Irish: techtaid — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Italian: possedere — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Italian: avere — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Japanese: 占有する (senyū suru) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Japanese: 所持する — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Japanese: 所有する (shoyū suru) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Khmer: មាន (miən) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Khmer: ជាម្ចាស់ (ciə mcah) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Korean: 소지하다 (sojihada) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Korean: 소유하다 (soyuhada) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Latin: possideō — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Latin: habeō — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Latin: teneō — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Macedonian: поседува (poseduva) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Norwegian Bokmål: besitte — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Norwegian Bokmål: eie — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Norwegian Bokmål: inneha — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Norwegian Nynorsk: eige — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Church Slavic: владѣти (vladěti) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Old East Slavic: володѣти (voloděti) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Old English: āgan — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Old English: āgnian — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Old English: besittan — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Persian: داشتن (dâštan) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Polish: posiadać — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Portuguese: possuir — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Portuguese: ter — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Romanian: poseda — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Romanian: avea — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Romanian: deține — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Russian: облада́ть (obladátʹ) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Russian: владе́ть (vladétʹ) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Russian: име́ть (imétʹ) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Sanskrit: ईष्टे (īṣṭe) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Serbo-Croatian: по́седовати — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Serbo-Croatian: по́сједовати — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Serbo-Croatian: pósedovati — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Serbo-Croatian: pósjedovati — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Slovak: vlastniť — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Slovene: posedovati — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Spanish: poseer — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Swedish: äga — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Swedish: besitta — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Swedish: inneha — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Tagalog: mag-ari — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Thai: ครอบครอง (krɔ̂ɔp-krɔɔng) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Turkish: malik olmak — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Turkish: sahip olmak — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Ukrainian: володі́ти (volodíty) — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Vietnamese: sở hữu — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Welsh: meddu — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Zhuang: miz — to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
• Bulgarian: обсебвам (obsebvam) — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Bulgarian: завладявам (zavladjavam) — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Catalan: posseir — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Chinese Mandarin: 附身 (fùshēn) — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Maore Comorian: uhea — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Czech: posednout — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Danish: besætte — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Dutch: bezit nemen van — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Finnish: ottaa valtaansa — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Finnish: riivata — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• French: posséder — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• French: s'emparer de — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• German: besitzen — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Hungarian: hatalmába kerít — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Hungarian: megszáll — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Indonesian: rasuk — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Italian: possedere — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Japanese: 支配する (shihai suru) — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Japanese: 取り憑く (toritsuku) — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Latin: teneo — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Māori: uru — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Pohnpeian: ti — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Polish: opętać — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Portuguese: possuir — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Spanish: poseer — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Tagalog: sumanib — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Telugu: ఆవేశించు (āvēśiñcu) — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)
• Thai: สิง (sǐng) — of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person’s body or mind)