possessive

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /pəˈzes.ɪv/ UK /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #19491

Meanings

1

adj
Wanting to control someone and not share them with others.

He became jealous and possessive of his girlfriend.
2

adj
Unwilling to share or give up what you own.

The toddler is very possessive of his toys.
3

adj
In grammar, showing ownership.

"My" and "your" are possessive pronouns.
4

noun
In grammar, a word or form that shows ownership.

In "the dog's bone," "dog's" is a possessive.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · in grammar, showing ownership. genitive

4 noun · in grammar, a word or form... genitive

Word family

Forms possessivelypossessivenesspossessives

Derived forms nonpossessiveoverpossessivepossessivalpossessivelypossessivenesspossessivityunpossessive

Related forms comitativegenitivekteticproprietaryproprietiveproprietorial

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

possessive pronoun
a pronoun that shows ownership, such as mine or yours

Adjective + noun

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.

Topics

Describing Qualities Language & Linguistics

External links

# possessive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /pəˈzes.ɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 19491

## Meanings
1. Wanting to control someone and not share them with others.
2. Unwilling to share or give up what you own.
3. In grammar, showing ownership.
4. In grammar, a word or form that shows ownership.

## Examples
- He became jealous and possessive of his girlfriend.
- The toddler is very possessive of his toys.
- "My" and "your" are possessive pronouns.
- In "the dog's bone," "dog's" is a possessive.

## Derived Forms
- nonpossessive
- overpossessive
- possessival
- possessively
- possessiveness
- possessivity
- unpossessive

## Related Forms
- comitative
- genitive
- ktetic
- proprietary
- proprietive
- proprietorial

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Possessive comes from Middle French possessif, from Latin possessivus (“of or pertaining to possession”), from possessiō (“possessing”), from possidēre (“to possess”). By surface analysis, possess + -ive. In present-day English it covers wanting to control someone and not share them with others, unwilling to share or give up what you own, and in grammar, showing ownership. The wider family includes derived forms such as nonpossessive, overpossessive, possessival, possessively, possessiveness and related forms such as comitative, genitive, ktetic, proprietary.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Language & Linguistics

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