possessive meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

possessive

adj

CA, US, UK, SC /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/ · AU /pəˈzes.ɪv/

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.

Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Indicating ownership, possession, origin, etc.

Unwilling to yield possession of.

He is very possessive of his car.

Derived terms: nonpossessive, overpossessive, possessival, possessivity, unpossessive

possessive

noun

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences The possessive case.

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences A word used to indicate the possessive case.

Take the rule about pronouns and possessives that Mr. Keegan cited in his challenge to the testing service.2023 January 6, Geoffery Nunberg, “The Nation: Parts of Speech; The Bloody Crossroads of Grammar and Politics”, 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’).2024 October 8, Remy Tumin, “Is It Harris’ or Harris’s? Add a Walz, and It’s Even Trickier.”, in The New York Times:

Derived terms: double possessive, independent possessive, possessively, possessiveness
Related terms: possessive pronoun, possessive adjective, possessive determiner, possessive suffix, comitative, genitive, ktetic, proprietive, proprietary, proprietorial