## 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
- Grammar & Function Words

markdown

possessive

Meanings

Thesaurus

Common collocations

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback