FromMiddle English[Term?], fromMiddle Frenchdespossesser. Equivalent todis- +possess.
dispossess (third-person singular simple presentdispossesses,present participledispossessing,simple past and past participledispossessed)
- Todeprive someone of thepossession ofland, especially byevicting them.
- To deprive someone of possession in general.
c.1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe],Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published1592,→OCLC; reprinted asTamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press,1973,→ISBN,Act(please specify |act=II or III), scene vii:ThoughMars himſelfe the angry God of armes,
And all the earthly Potentates conſpire,
Todiſpoſſeſſe me of this Diadem:
Yet wil I weare it in deſpight of them
As great commander of this Eaſtearne world,[…]
- (sports) To takepossession of the ball/puck etc. (from someone).
2011 October 1, John Sinnott, “Aston Villa 2 - 0 Wigan”, inBBC Sport[1]:It was Bannan who released Agbonlahor for his goal with a long-range curling pass after Stephen Warnock haddispossessed Mohamed Diame.
deprive someone of possession in general
