adj. & n.
--adj.
1. showing a desire to possess or retain what one already owns.
2 showing jealous and domineering tendencies towards another person.
3 Gram. indicating possession.
--n. (in full possessive case) Gram. the case of nouns and pronouns expressing possession.
Phrases and idioms:
possessive pronoun each of the pronouns indicating possession (my, your, his, their, etc.) or the corresponding absolute forms (mine, yours, his, theirs, etc.).
Derivatives:
possessively adv. possessiveness n.
Etymology: L possessivus (as POSSESS), transl. Gk ktetike (ptosis case)