posséder

Posséder is a French verb that means "to possess" or "to own."

Meaning:

• To have something in one's possession, to own something, or to have control over it.
• It can also mean to be possessed by (in a more figurative or supernatural sense), like being dominated or controlled by a feeling, an idea, or even a spirit.

Parts:

• It is a regular verb of the -er group, although it has a spelling change in some forms to maintain the pronunciation (the accent grave changes to an acute accent in certain conjugations).
• The stem changes from possèd- to posséd- depending on the tense and conjugation form.

Usage examples:

• Literal possession:
  Il possède une maison à Paris.
  (He owns a house in Paris.)

• Figurative possession:
  Elle est possédée par la passion.
  (She is possessed by passion.)

Synonyms:

• Avoir (to have) — general possession.
• Détenir (to hold, to have legally).
• Posséder is often stronger or more formal than "avoir."

Antonyms:

• Perdre (to lose) — losing possession.
• Ne pas avoir (to not have).
• Être dépourvu de (to be deprived of).

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In summary, posséder is primarily about owning or having something, and secondarily about being dominated or controlled by something intangible.