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Possession vs Portion - What's the difference?

possession | portion |

As nouns the difference between possession and portion

is that possession is control or occupancy of something for which one does not necessarily have private property rights while portion is portion.

As a verb possession

is (obsolete) to invest with property.

possession

English

Noun

(wikipedia possession) (en noun)
  • Control or occupancy of something for which one does not necessarily have private property rights.
  • Something that is owned.
  • The car quickly became his most prized possession .
    I would gladly give all of my worldly possessions just to be able to do that.
  • Ownership]]; [[take, taking, holding, keeping something as one's own.
  • The car is in my possession .
    I'm in possession of the car.
  • A territory under the rule of another country.
  • Réunion is the largest of France's overseas possessions .
  • The condition or affliction of being possessed by a demon or other supernatural entity.
  • Back then, people with psychiatric disorders were sometimes thought to be victims of demonic possession .
  • * Shakespeare
  • How long hath this possession held the man?
  • (sports) Control of the ball; the opportunity to be on the offensive.
  • The scoreboard shows a little football symbol next to the name of the team that has possession .
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2010 , date=December 29 , author=Chris Whyatt , title=Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Their first half was marred by the entire side playing too deep, completely unable to build up any form of decent possession once the ball left their bewildered defence.}}
  • (linguistics) A syntactic relationship between two nouns or nominals that may be used to indicate ownership.
  • Some languages distinguish between a construction like 'my car', which shows alienable possession''' — the car could become someone else's — and one like 'my foot', which has inalienable '''possession — my foot will always be mine.

    Usage notes

    * One who possesses is often said to have possession (of)'', ''hold possession (of)'', or ''be in possession (of) . * One who acquires is often said to take possession (of)'', ''gain possession (of)'', or ''come into possession (of) .

    Synonyms

    * ight (obsolete) * owndom, retention * See also

    Antonyms

    * absence

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To invest with property.
  • (Webster 1913)

    Statistics

    * ----

    portion

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An allocated amount.
  • That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.
  • One's fate; lot.
  • * Bible, Luke xii. 46
  • The lord of that servant will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
  • * Keble
  • Man's portion is to die and rise again.
  • The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.
  • * Bible, Luke xv. 12
  • Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
  • A wife's fortune; a dowry.
  • * 1613 , , V. iv. 31:
  • Commend me to her, and to piece her portion / Tender her this.

    Usage notes

    Relatively formal, compared to the more informal part or more concrete and casual piece. For example, “part of the money” (both informal) but “portion of the proceeds” (both formal).

    Synonyms

    * part * piece

    Derived terms

    * portionless * proportion

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.
  • To endow with a portion or inheritance.
  • Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest. — Alexander Pope.

    Usage notes

    * Particularly used as portion out. * Relatively formal, compared to the more informal divide, divide up, or the casual divvy, divvy up.

    Synonyms

    * divide, divide up * divvy, divvy up

    Derived terms

    * portion off * portion out