Word of the day: Prepossessing

Prepossessing

[pree-pə-ZES-ing]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: English, mid-17th century

Attractive or appealing in appearance.

Examples of prepossessing in a sentence

"The neighborhood has become more prepossessing with the recent renovations."

"Miriam had a prepossessing aura that always attracted people to her."

About Prepossessing

In the 1610s, this word was related to “getting possession of land beforehand.” The meaning morphed about 20 years later into “possessing a person beforehand with a feeling or notion.” And in the 1640s, the meaning broadened into causing someone to “have a favorable opinion of something; to preoccupy the mind or heart of.” It's been simplified over the years as an adjective to mean “attractive.”

Did you Know?

“Prepossessing” also has some archaic definitions that mean "creating prejudice" and "possessing something prior to a specific time."