# prepossessing

> English word · Adjective

## Definitions
1. Tending to invite favor; attracting confidence, favor, esteem, or love; attractive
2. Causing prejudice.

## Etymology
From pre- + possess. Attested in 1610s with the meaning of "getting possession of (ground or land) beforehand". The meaning "to possess (a person) beforehand with a feeling, notion, etc." developed in 1630s, acquiring by the 40s of the same century the meaning of "to cause (someone) to have a favorable opinion of something, preoccupy the mind or heart of".

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/prepossessing