possessive: Meaning and Definition of
pos•ses•sive
Pronunciation: (pu-zes'iv), [key] — adj.
- jealously opposed to the personal independence of, or to any influence other than one's own upon, a child, spouse, etc.
- desirous of possessing, esp. excessively so: Young children are so possessive they will not allow others to play with their toys; a possessive lover.
- of or pertaining to possession or ownership.
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- indicating possession, ownership, origin, etc. His in his book is a possessive adjective. His in The book is his is a possessive pronoun.
- noting or pertaining to a case that indicates possession, ownership, origin, etc., as, in English, John's in John's hat.
—n.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.