ppl. a. [UN-1 8.]
1. Not possessed or owned; unoccupied.
1594. Daniel, Compl. of Rosamond, ciii. Seeing how many seeke to vndermine The treasury that’s vnpossest of any.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 105. The riuer was yet vnpossessed by the enemie.
1664. H. Power, Exp. Philos., 92. If you let in the outward ayr into the cavity unpossessed by the mercury.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 281. If he leaves the country unpossessed, he leaves it free for any other nation to come in.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. vi. 64. [Patagonia] is unpossessed by the Spaniards.
1833. Wordsw., Itin. Poems, Iona, 12. A grace by thee unsought and unpossest.
† 2. Not preoccupied; unprejudiced. Obs.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, III. xv. When a while that instrument had made a brave proclamation to all unpossessed mindes of attention.
1665. J. Spencer, Vulg. Proph., 61. All the Heralds of Heaven had the badg of some divine Signs, whereby unpossest minds might easily distinguish them from Impostors.
1685. Temple, Ess., Gardening (1690), 11. The want of Demonstration or Satisfaction, to any thinking and unpossessed Man.
3. Not having possession of something.
1795. V. Knox, Chr. Philos., § 22, note. The mind, unpossessed of virtue.
1840. Gen. P. Thompson, Exerc. (1842), V. 69. A witness … absolutely unpossessed of all idea of obligation to speak the truth.
1899. F. T. Bullen, Way Navy, 25. Many of them quite unpossessed of any knowledge of our most thrilling episode.
Hence Unpossessedness.
1819. Coleridge, in Lit. Rem. (1836), II. 239. How truly Shakspearian is the opening of Macbeth’s character given in the unpossessedness of Banquo’s mind.
