Possessed

Definitions

• A. adjective.

1. Held as property; owned, occupied; taken as property, seized, assumed. Now chiefly literary and poet.

2. a. Inhabited and controlled by a demon or spirit; lunatic, mad. Freq. predic.

b. U.S. like all possessed: with great force, vehemence, energy, or spirit. Now rare.

3. As the second element in instrumental compounds: dominated, controlled, or affected by a specified influence or agent.

4. Kept calm or steady, composed. Cf. SELF-POSSESSED adj. rare.

• B. noun. A possessed person or thing; esp. (with the and pl. concord) people possessed by a demon or spirit as a class; lunatics, demoniacs.

See Also

Possession