Posology, pō-sol′ō-ji, n. the science of quantity.—adjs. Posolog′ic, -al. [Gr. posos, how much, logia, discourse.]
Posse, pos′ē, n. power: possibility.—Posse comitatus, the power of the county: the body of men entitled to be called out by the sheriff to aid in enforcing the law. [L. posse, to be able.]
Possess, poz-zes′, v.t. to have or hold as an owner: to have the control of: to inform: to seize: to enter into and influence: to put (one's self) in possession (of): (Spens.) to achieve: (Shak.) put in possession of information, convince.—adj. Possessed′, influenced by some evil spirit, demented.—n. Posses′sion, act of possessing: the thing possessed: a country taken by conquest: property: state of being possessed, as by an evil spirit: madness.—adjs. Posses′sionary, Posses′sive, pertaining to or denoting possession.—n. Posses′sive (gram.), a pronoun denoting possession: the possessive case.—adv. Posses′sively.—n. Posses′sor, one who possesses: owner: proprietor: occupant.—adj. Posses′sory, relating to a possessor or possession: having possession.—Give possession, to put in another's power or occupancy; Take possession, to assume ownership; Writ of possession, a process directing a sheriff to put a person in possession of property recovered in ejectment. [Fr.,—L. possidēre, possessum.]
Posset, pos′et, n. a dietetic preparation, made by curdling milk with some acidulous liquor, such as wine, ale, or vinegar.—v.t. (Shak.) to curdle.—Posset cup, a large cup or covered bowl for posset. [Prob. Ir. pusoid, a posset; cf. W. posel.]
Possible, pos′i-bl, adj. that may be or happen: that may be done: not contrary to the nature of things.—n. Possibil′ity, state of being possible: that which is possible: a contingency.—adv. Poss′ibly. [Fr.,—L. possibilis—posse, to be able.]
Possum, pos′um, n. Same as Opossum.
Post, pōst, n. a piece of timber fixed in the ground, generally as a support to something else: a pillar.—v.t. to fix on or to a post, or to any conspicuous position, in a public place: to expose to public reproach, to placard as having failed in an examination, &c.—n. Post′er, one who posts bills: a large printed bill or placard for posting.—From pillar to post (see Pillar). [A.S. post—L. postis, a doorpost—ponĕre, to place.]
Post, pōst, n. a fixed place, as a military station: a fixed place or stage on a road: an office: one who travels by stages, esp. carrying letters, &c.: a public letter-carrier: an established system of conveying letters: (Shak.) a post-horse: (Shak.) haste: a size of writing-paper, double that of common note-paper (so called from the water-mark, a postman's horn).—v.t. to set or station: to put in the post-office: (book-k.) to transfer from the journal to the ledger: to supply with necessary information, as to post up (cf. Well posted up).—v.i to travel with post-horses, or with speed.—adv. with posthorses: with speed.—ns. Post′age, the act of going by post: journey: money paid for conveyance of letters, &c., by post or mail; Post′age-stamp, an adhesive stamp for affixing to letters to show that the postal charge has been paid.—adj. Post′al, of or pertaining to the mail-service.—ns. Post′-bag, a mail-bag; Post′-bill, a way-bill of the letters sent from a post-office; Post′boy, a boy that rides posthorses, or who carries letters; Post′-card, a stamped card on which a message may be sent by post; Post′-chaise, Post′-char′iot, a chaise or carriage with four wheels let for hire for the conveyance of those who travel with posthorses.—v.i. Post′-chaise, to travel by post-chaise.—ns. Post′-day, the day on which the post or mail arrives or departs; Post′er, one who travels by post: (Shak.) a courier: one who travels expeditiously: a posthorse.—adj. Post′-free, delivered by the post without payment.—n. Posthaste′, haste in travelling like that of a post.—adj. speedy: immediate.—adv. with haste or speed.—ns. Post′-horn, a postman's horn: a horn blown by the driver of a mail-coach; Post′horse, a horse kept for posting; Post′house, a house where horses are kept for the use of parties posting: a post-office; Post′man, a post or courier: a letter-carrier; Post′mark, the mark or stamp put upon a letter at a post-office showing the time and place of reception and delivery; Post′master, the manager or superintendent of a post-office: one who supplies posthorses: at Merton College, Oxford, a scholar who is supported on the foundation; Post′master-Gen′eral, the minister who is the chief officer of the post-office department; Post′-off′ice, an office for receiving and transmitting letters by post: a department of the government which has charge of the reception and conveyance of letters.—adj. Post′-paid, having the postage paid, as a letter.—ns. Post′-time, the time for the despatch or for the delivery of letters; Post′-town, a town with a post-office.—Postal note, a note for a fixed designated sum issued by a postmaster, payable at any office; Postal order, an order issued by the postmaster authorising the holder to receive at some particular post-office payment of the sum marked on it. [Fr. poste—L. ponĕre, positum, to place.]
Post, pōst, adv. and prep. after, behind—in compounds as Post-abdominal, Post-anal, Post-axial, Post-brachial, Post-canonical, Post-clavicle, Post-embryonic, &c.—adj. Post′-class′ical, after those Greek and Latin writers styled classical, but before the medieval.—n. Post′-commun′ion, the part of the eucharistic office after the act of communion.—adj. succeeding communion.—v.t. Postdate′, to date after the real time.—n. a date on a letter later than the real date on which it was written.—adjs. Post′-dilū′vial, Post′-dilū′vian, being or happening after the deluge.—ns. Post′-dilū′vian, one who has lived since the deluge; Post′-en′try, an additional entry of merchandise at a custom-house.—adjs. Post′-exil′ic, Post′-exil′ian, after the time of the Babylonian captivity of the Jews.—ns. Post′-exist′ence, future existence; Post′fix, a letter, syllable, or word fixed to or put after another word, an affix.—v.t. Postfix′, to add to the end of another word.—adjs. Post′-glā′cial, after the glacial epoch; Post′-grad′uate, belonging to study pursued after graduation; Post′-merid′ian, coming after the sun has crossed the meridian: in the afternoon (written P.M.).—n. Post′-millenā′rian, one who believes in post-millennialism.—adj. Post′-millenn′ial.—n. Post′-millenn′ialism, the doctrine that the second coming of Christ will follow the millennium.—adj. Post′-mor′tem, after death.—n. a post-mortem examination.—adjs. Post′-nā′tal, after birth; Post′-nī′cene, after the first general council at Nicæa in 325 A.D.—n. Post′-note, a note issued by a bank, payable at some future time.—adj. Post′-nup′tial, being or happening after marriage.—ns. Post′-ō′bit, a bond or security given by heirs and others entitled to reversionary interests, whereby in consideration of a sum of money presently advanced, the debtor binds himself to pay a much larger sum after the death of some person, or of himself; Post′-posi′tion, the state of being put back or out of the regular place: (gram.) a word or particle placed after a word—opp. to a preposition, which is placed before.—adjs. Post′-pos′itive; Post′-remote′, more remote in subsequent time or order; Post′-ter′tiary, more recent than the Tertiary.—n. the most recent geological division. [L.]
Post-captain, pōst′-kap′tān, n. a captain in the British navy, so called in contradistinction to a commander because his name was 'posted' in the seniority list.