Meaning
possession, ownership
- property, estate (plural)
- mastery (of a subject, a language etc.)
In a sentence
Ha preso possesso del nuovo appartamento ieri.
He took possession of the new apartment yesterday.
Hai il possesso dei documenti di casa?
Do you have the house documents in your possession?
I documenti sono già in nostro possesso.
The documents are already in our possession.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| possesso | masculine · singular |
| possessi | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use possesso for legal ownership or control. For belongings, speakers often prefer proprietà, beni, or roba depending on context and register.
- In sports, possesso often means ball possession: avere il possesso palla or mantenere il possesso. Very common in football commentary.
- For language ability, possesso is formal: possesso della lingua. In everyday speech, padronanza or sapere/parlare bene sounds more natural.