*sess*

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Assessed p. pr. & vb. n. Assessing. ] [ OF. assesser to regulate, settle, LL. assessare to value for taxation, fr. L. assidere, supine as if assessum, to sit by, esp. of judges in a court, in LL. to assess, tax. Cf. Assize, v., Cess. ] 1. To value; to make a valuation or official estimate of for the purpose of taxation. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To apportion a sum to be paid by (a person, a community, or an estate), in the nature of a tax, fine, etc.; to impose a tax upon (a person, an estate, or an income) according to a rate or apportionment. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To determine and impose a tax or fine upon (a person, community, estate, or income); to tax; as, the club assessed each member twenty-five cents. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To fix or determine the rate or amount of. [ 1913 Webster ]

This sum is assessed and raised upon individuals by commissioners in the act. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Liable to be assessed or taxed; as, assessable property. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who is assessed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. assessio, fr. assid&unr_;re to sit by or near; ad + sed&unr_;re to sit. See Sit. ] A sitting beside or near. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. assessamentum. ] 1. The act of assessing; the act of determining an amount to be paid; as, an assessment of damages, or of taxes; an assessment of the members of a club. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A valuation of property or profits of business, for the purpose of taxation; such valuation and an adjudging of the proper sum to be levied on the property; as, an assessment of property or an assessment on property. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ An assessment is a valuation made by authorized persons according to their discretion, as opposed to a sum certain or determined by law. It is a valuation of the property of those who are to pay the tax, for the purpose of fixing the proportion which each man shall pay. Blackstone. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The specific sum levied or assessed. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. An apportionment of a subscription for stock into successive installments; also, one of these installments (in England termed a “call”). [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., one who sits beside, the assistant of a judge, fr. assid&unr_;re. See Assession. LL., one who arranges of determines the taxes, fr. assid&unr_;re. See Assess, v., and cf. Cessor. ] 1. One appointed or elected to assist a judge or magistrate with his special knowledge of the subject to be decided; as legal assessors, nautical assessors. Mozley & W. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who sits by another, as next in dignity, or as an assistant and adviser; an associate in office. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whence to his Son,
The assessor of his throne, he thus began. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

With his ignorance, his inclinations, and his fancy, as his assessors in judgment. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One appointed to assess persons or property for the purpose of taxation. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. assessorial, fr. L. assessor. ] Of or pertaining to an assessor, or to a court of assessors. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office or function of an assessor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A joint assessor. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dispossessed p. pr. & vb. n. Dispossessing. ] [ Pref. dis- + possess: cf. F. déposséder. ] To put out of possession; to deprive of the actual occupancy of, particularly of land or real estate; to disseize; to eject; -- usually followed by of before the thing taken away; as, to dispossess a king of his crown. [ 1913 Webster ]

Usurp the land, and dispossess the swain. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. physically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security.
Syn. -- homeless, roofless. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

made a living out of shepherding dispossessed people from one country to another James Stern

n. [ Cf. F. dépossession. ] 1. The act of putting out of possession; the state of being dispossessed. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) The putting out of possession, wrongfully or otherwise, of one who is in possession of a freehold, no matter in what title; -- called also ouster. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who dispossesses. Cowley. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Holding or held formerly in possession. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Preoccupied; prepossessed; preëngaged. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Not extremely forepossessed with prejudice. Bp. Sanderson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. insessio, fr. insidere, insessum, to sit in. See Insidious. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of sitting, as in a tub or bath. “Used by way of fomentation, insession, or bath.” [ R. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That in which one sits, as a bathing tub. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Insessions be bathing tubs half full. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Insessores [ See Insessores. ] (Zool.) One of the Insessores. The group includes most of the common singing birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. insessor, lit., one who sits down, fr. incidere. See Insession. ] (Zool.) An order of birds, formerly established to include the perching birds, but now generally regarded as an artificial group. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) 1. Pertaining to, or having the character of, perching birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Belonging or pertaining to the Insessores. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A marchioness. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. obsessus, p. p. of obsidere to besiege; ob (see Ob-) + sedere to sit. ] 1. To besiege; to beset. [ archaic ] Sir T. Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To excessively preoccupy the thoughts or feelings of; to haunt the mind persistently. [ PJC ]

v. i. To be excessively or persistently preoccupied with something; -- usually used with on or over; as, to obsess over an imagined insult. [ PJC ]

At all ages children are driven to figure out what it takes to succeed among their peers and to give these strategies precedence over anything their parents foist on them. Weary parents know they are no match for a child's peers, and rightly obsess over the best neighborhood in which to bring their children up. Steven Pinker (How the Mind Works, p. 449-450 [ 1997 ]). [ PJC ]

adj. 1. having or showing excessive or compulsive concern; -- used with with.
Syn. -- haunted, preoccupied, taken up(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion.
Syn. -- possessed(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. obsessio: cf. F. obsession. ] 1. The act of besieging. [ archaic ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being besieged; -- used specifically of a person beset by a spirit from without. [ archaic ] Tylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whether by obsession or possession, I will not determine. Burton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An excessive preoccupation of the thoughts or feelings; the persistent haunting or domination of the mind by a particular desire, idea, or image. [ PJC ]

4. Hence: Any driving motive; a compelling goal; -- not necessarily implying a negative judgment, as does sense 3; as, the coach was obsessed with winning the state championship [ PJC ]

5. Something that causes an obsession{ 3 }. [ PJC ]

6. The state of being obsessed. [ PJC ]

adj. Persistently and abnormally preoccupied with some unreasonable idea.
Syn. -- compulsive. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Possessed p. pr. & vb. n. Possessing. ] [ L. possessus, p. p. of possidere to have, possess, from an inseparable prep. (cf. Position) + sedere to sit. See Sit. ] 1. To occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold. [ 1913 Webster ]

Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land. Jer. xxxii. 15. [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet beauty, though injurious, hath strange power,
After offense returning, to regain
Love once possessed. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To have the legal title to; to have a just right to; to be master of; to own; to have; as, to possess property, an estate, a book. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am yours, and all that I possess. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize. [ 1913 Webster ]

How . . . to possess the purpose they desired. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; -- said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc. “Weakness possesseth me.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Those which were possessed with devils. Matt. iv. 24. [ 1913 Webster ]

For ten inspired, ten thousand are possessed. Roscommon. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To put in possession; to make the owner or holder of property, power, knowledge, etc.; to acquaint; to inform; -- followed by of or with before the thing possessed, and now commonly used reflexively. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have possessed your grace of what I purpose. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Record a gift . . . of all he dies possessed
Unto his son. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

We possessed our selves of the kingdom of Naples. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

To possess our minds with an habitual good intention. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To have; hold; occupy; control; own. -- Possess, Have. Have is the more general word. To possess denotes to have as a property. It usually implies more permanence or definiteness of control or ownership than is involved in having. A man does not possess his wife and children: they are (so to speak) part of himself. For the same reason, we have the faculties of reason, understanding, will, sound judgment, etc.: they are exercises of the mind, not possessions. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. possession, L. possessio. ] 1. The act or state of possessing, or holding as one's own. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command; actual seizin or occupancy; ownership, whether rightful or wrongful. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Possession may be either actual or constructive; actual, when a party has the immediate occupancy; constructive, when he has only the right to such occupancy. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The thing possessed; that which any one occupies, owns, or controls; in the plural, property in the aggregate; wealth; dominion; as, foreign possessions. [ 1913 Webster ]

When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matt. xix. 22. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. Acts v. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Ob. 17. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The state of being possessed or controlled, as by an evil spirit, or violent passions; madness; frenzy; as, demoniacal possession. [ 1913 Webster ]

How long hath this possession held the man? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To give possession, to put in another's power or occupancy. --
To put in possession. (a) To invest with ownership or occupancy; to provide or furnish with; as, to put one in possession of facts or information. (b) (Law) To place one in charge of property recovered in ejectment or writ of entry. --
To take possession, to enter upon, or to bring within one's power or occupancy. --
Writ of possession (Law), a precept directing a sheriff to put a person in peaceable possession of property recovered in ejectment or writ of entry. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To invest with property. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to possession; arising from possession. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A possessor; a property holder. [ Obs. ] “Possessioners of riches.” E. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

Having been of old freemen and possessioners. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An invidious name for a member of any religious community endowed with property in lands, buildings, etc., as contrasted with mendicant friars. [ Obs. ] Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the possessive case; as, a possessival termination. Earle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. possessivus: cf. F. possessif. ] Of or pertaining to possession; having or indicating possession. [ 1913 Webster ]

Possessive case (Eng. Gram.), the genitive case; the case of nouns and pronouns which expresses ownership, origin, or some possessive relation of one thing to another; as, Homer's admirers; the pear's flavor; the dog's faithfulness. --
Possessive pronoun, a pronoun denoting ownership; as, his name; her home; my book. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Gram.) The possessive case. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) A possessive pronoun, or a word in the possessive case. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a possessive manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L.: cf. F. possesseur. ] One who possesses; one who occupies, holds, owns, or controls; one who has actual participation or enjoyment, generally of that which is desirable; a proprietor. “Possessors of eternal glory.” Law. [ 1913 Webster ]

As if he had been possessor of the whole world. Sharp. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Owner; proprietor; master; holder; occupant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. possessorius: cf. F. possessoire. ] Of or pertaining to possession, either as a fact or a right; of the nature of possession; as, a possessory interest; a possessory lord. [ 1913 Webster ]

Possessory action or
Possessory suit (Law), an action to regain or obtain possession of something. See under Petitory. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Prepossessed p. pr. & vb. n. Prepossessing. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To preoccupy, as ground or land; to take previous possession of. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To preoccupy, as the mind or heart, so as to preclude other things; hence, to bias or prejudice; to give a previous inclination to, for or against anything; esp., to induce a favorable opinion beforehand, or at the outset. [ 1913 Webster ]

It created him enemies, and prepossessed the lord general. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending to invite favor; attracting confidence, favor, esteem, or love; attractive; as, a prepossessing manner. -- Pre`pos*sess"ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Preoccupation; prior possession. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Preoccupation of the mind by an opinion, or impression, already formed; preconceived opinion; previous impression; bias; -- generally, but not always, used in a favorable sense; as, the prepossessions of childhood. “The prejudices and prepossessions of the country.” Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Bent; bias; inclination; preoccupancy; prejudgment. See Bent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who possesses, or occupies, previously. R. Brady. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To revise or renew one's assessment of; as, we need to reassess our position to include the new information. Usually used without the hyphen.
Syn. -- re-evaluate, reevaluate. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. A renewed or second assessment. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To possess again; as, to repossess the land. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Specifically: To take possession of, for failure of the possessor to make payments owed for purchase of; -- used of real estate subject to mortgage payments and of other objects purchased on a time-payment plan, which may be taken back (repossessed) by the original vendor if the payments are not made on time. [ PJC ]

To repossess one's self of (something), to acquire again (something lost). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or the state of possessing again. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Composed or tranquil in mind, manner, etc.; undisturbed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The possession of one's powers; calmness; self-command; presence of mind; composure. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Aphetic form of assess. See Assess, Cess. ] To lay a tax upon; to assess. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A tax; an assessment. See Cess. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. Hurry; run. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]