possessive

English

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

• IPA^(key): /pəˈzɛsɪv/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛsɪv

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

pertaining to possession

• Arabic: تَمَلُكِي (tamaluki)
• Bulgarian: собственически (sobstveničeski)
• Catalan: possessiu (ca)
• Dutch: bezittelijk (nl)
• French: possessif (fr)
• Greek: κτητικός (el) m (ktitikós)
• Scottish Gaelic: seilbheach
• Spanish: posesivo (es)

grammar: indicating possession

• Arabic: صِيغَةُ اْلتَمَلُكِ (ṣeyḡatu altamaluki)
• Belarusian: прынале́жны (prynaljéžny)
• Bulgarian: притежателен (pritežatelen)
• Catalan: possessiu (ca)
• Czech: přivlastňovací (cs) m
• Dutch: bezittelijk (nl)
• Esperanto: posesiva
• French: possessif (fr) m
• German: besitzanzeigend, possessiv (de)
• Greek: κτητικός (el) m (ktitikós)

  Ancient: κτητικός (ktētikós)

• Hungarian: birtokos (hu)
• Irish: sealbhach
• Norman: possessif
• Old English: ġeāgniġendlīċ
• Polish: dzierżawczy (pl)
• Portuguese: possessivo (pt) m
• Russian: притяжа́тельный (ru) (pritjažátelʹnyj), поссесси́вный (ru) (possessívnyj) (rare)
• Scottish Gaelic: seilbheach
• Spanish: posesivo (es)
• Swedish: possessiv (sv)
• Turkish: sahiplik (tr), aitlik, iyelik (tr)
• Ukrainian: присві́йний (prysvíjnyj)
• Welsh: meddiannol

unwilling to yield possession of

• Catalan: possessiu (ca)
• Dutch: bezitterig (nl)
• Indonesian: posesif (id)
• Irish: gabhálach
• Polish: zaborczy (pl)
• Portuguese: possessivo (pt)
• Spanish: posesivo (es), celoso (es)
• Welsh: meddiannol, meddiangar

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^[1]:

     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^[2]:

     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

• double possessive
• independent possessive
• reflexive possessive

Translations

possessive case — see possessive case

a word that indicates possession or the possessive case

• Maori: kupu whiwhinga, pūriro, rirohanga

See also

• possessive pronoun
• possessive adjective
• possessive determiner
• possessive suffix
• comitative
• genitive
• ktetic
• proprietive

French

Adjective

possessive

1. feminine singular of possessif

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

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