Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

possĭdĕo (archaic orthogr. POSIDET, Epitaphs of the Scipios; Sentent. de Limit. Genuat. Rudorff; in the latter also POSIDENT, POSIDEBVNT, POSIDETO, POSIDERE, as well as POSEDEIT and POSEDET, for possedit), sēdi, sessum, 2, v. a. [old prep. port; Gr. προτί, πρός (v. pono), and sedeo], to have and hold, to be master of, to own, possess (syn.: teneo, habeo).

  1. I. Lit.: uti nunc possidetis eum fundum q. d. a. (i. e. quo de agitur), quod nec vi nec clam nec precario alter ab altero possidetis, ita possidentis: adversus ea vim fieri veto, an ancient formula of the prætor, Fest. p. 233 Müll.: qui in alienā potestate sunt, rem peculiarem tenere possunt, habere et possidere non possunt: quia possessio non tantum corporis, sed etiam juris est, Dig. 41, 2, 49: ex edicto bona possidere, Cic. Quint. 6, 25: partem agri, Caes. B. G. 6, 11: solum bello captum, Liv. 26, 11: Galli Italiam maximis plurimisque urbibus possident, Just. 38, 4, 9: uniones, Plin. 9, 35, 58, § 119.
        1. b. Absol., to have possessions, to possess lands, be settled: juxta litora maris possidere, Dig. 47, 9, 7: possidere trans flumen, ib. 43, 14, 1.
    1. B. Transf., for possido, to take possession of, to occupy (very rare except in eccl. and late Lat.): ego possideo plus Pallante, Juv. 1, 108: quot agri jugera? id. 3, 141: ferro septus possidet sedes sacras, Att. ap. Cic. de Or. 3, 26, 102; Auct. Her. 1, 11, 19: forum armatis catervis perditorum hominum, Cic. Dom. 42, 110 (dub.): magister, quid faciendo vitam aeternam possidebo, Vulg. Luc. 10, 25: iniqui regnum Dei non possidebunt, id. 1 Cor. 6, 9 et saep.
      1. 2. To occupy, abide in a place (poet.): victrix possidet umbra nemus, Mart. 6, 76, 6: Zephyri possidet aura nemus, Prop. 1, 19, 2; Luc. 2, 454.
  2. II. Trop., to possess, to have a thing (class.): possidere nomen, Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 27: palmam, id. Most. 1, 1, 31: secli mores in se, id. Truc. prol. 13: inverecundum animi ingenium, Poët. ap. Cic. Inv. 1, 45, 83: plus fidei quam artis, plus veritatis quam disciplinae possidet in se, Cic. Rosc. Com. 6, 17; id. Rosc. Am. 24, 66; Ov. F. 1, 586: possedit favorem plebis Clodius, Val. Max. 3, 5, 3.