posset 
u drink of mingled vinegar and water, is prob. 
nut concerned.] A drink composed of hot milk 
curdled by gome infusion, as wine or other 
liquor, formerly inurli in favor both as a luxury 
and as medicine. 
I have drugg'd their postett, 
lli.it death and nature do contend about them. 
Whether they Uve or die. Skat., Macbeth, ii. 2. 0. 
After Kipper to dancing and ringing till about twelve 
at night ; anil then we had a good lack poaett tot them, 
and an excellent cake. I'tpv*, Mary, Jan. 6, 1067. 
Having had several violent fits of an ague, recourse was 
had to ... drinking carduusporart, then going to bed and 
sweating. Etelyn, Diary, Feb. 7, 1682. 
I'oaet U an ficellent mixture of hut ale. milk, igar, 
pices, and sippets or dice of bread ur oat cake, almost if 
not quite universal for supper on Christmas eve. 
L. JncOt, Ceramic Art of Or. Britain (first cd.), I. 108. 
possett (pos'et), r. t. [< posset, ,] To curdle; 
coagulate. [Hare.] 
And with n sudden vigour It doth posset 
And curd, like eager droppings Into milk, 
Tin- thin and wholesome l>l<x>d. 
SAa*., Hamlet, LC.O& 
posset-ale (pos'et-al), n. Posset made with ale, 
used in medicine in the seventeenth century. 
posset-cup (pos'et-kup), . A large bowl or 
Posset -cup. 
porringer, often having a cover, used for con- 
taining posset. 
posset-pot (pos'et-pot), . Same as posset-cup. 
possettt, n. A Middle English form of posset. 
posshet, i'. A Middle English form of punk. 
Possibilist (pos'i-bil-ist), H. [< F. ]>o.tsiliili.itc 
= Sp. 1'osibilistii ; as L. possibilis, possible, + 
-int.] 1. A member of a Spanish political party 
which aims at the establishment of a republic 
by constitutional means. 
Thus Oastelar and his followers constitute what Is called 
the PoadWiM party, which, although numbering few par- 
, , 
tisans among the people, yet comprises several distin- 
individuals. 
Fortmyhtly Her, XXXIX. 115. 
guished and upright in 
2. A member of a modern socialistic faction 
in France. 
possibility (pos-i-bil'i-ti), .; pi. itossibilitiex 
(-tiz). [< ME. possihilitrr, possyhilitr, < OK. 
ptmsibilitc, F. possiMitf = Sp. poxibilidnrl = 
Pg. postibiUdaae = It. possibility, < LL. posxi- 
bilita(t-)s, possibility, < Ij.possibilis, possible: 
see possible.] 1. The mode of that which is 
possible; the fact of being possible. 
There is no let but that, as often as those liooks are read, 
and need so rwinlreth, the stile of their differences may 
expressly be mentioned to bar even all possibility of error. 
Hooker. 
It is pleasant to see great works In their seminal state, 
pregnant with latent possibilities of excellence. Johnson. 
He looked so virtuous that he might commit any crime 
and no one would believe in the possibility of his guilt. 
Lady Holland, Sydney .Smith, vi. 
2. A thing possible ; that which may take place 
or come into being. 
Consider him antecedently to his creation, while yet he 
lay In the barren womb of nothing, and only In the num- 
ber of possibilities, and consequently could have nothing 
to recommend him to Christ's affection. BoiHL 
Nerer country had such a fortune, as men call fortune, 
u this. In its geography, its history, and In its majestic 
poaibUities. Emerson, Fortune of the Republic. 
3. Specifically, in /<nr, a chance or expectation ; 
an uncertain thing which mayor may not hap- 
pen. It U near or ordinary, as where an estate ls limited 
to one after the death of another ; or remote or extraordi- 
nary, as where It Is limited to a man provided he shall lie 
married to a certain woman, ami then that she shall die, 
and he be married to another. Wharton. Logical pos- 
sibility. See logical.- Permanent possibility. See 
permanent. -Physical possibility, compatibility with 
the laws of nature. Possibility Of issue extinct, a 
term, formerly of some Importance In th-- law of real prop- 
erty, used to designate the effect of the age of a woman un- 
der a gift conditioned on having Issue. The highest au- 
thorities In medical jurisprudence 8nstalnthfprn|><.ii ion 
that a woman beyond the age of fifty-five has, In the leval 
sense, no pouiblllty of Issue. Extinction of poasllilllty may 
be inferred at an earlier age, varying witli the \ idencc as 
to tin- length "f married li(<-nil the condition of health. 
Practical possibility, capability of being rcaliz. .1 i.\ 
4638 
means within the power of the penons considered. Real 
possibility, indetennlnatencss in things as to the future 
happening or non-happening of something which lies with- 
in toe power of a free agent. 
possible (pos'i-bl), (i. [< MK. possible, posxy- 
lii/lli; < OF. (and F.) possible = Sp. posible = 
Pg. possirel = It. possibile, possecole, < L. pos- 
xibilis, possible, < posse, be able: see power.] 
That may be; not Known not to be true; not 
known not to be true in some hypothetical state 
of information. Tin: only kind of object which In strict 
propriety of language can be called possible is the truth of 
a proposition ; and when a kind of thing is said to be t*-*- 
riUe, this is to be regarded as an elliptical expression, 
meaning that It is of such a general description that we 
do not know it does not exist. So an event or act is said 
to be possible, meaning that one would not know that It 
would not come to pass. But It Is Incorrect to use jMtlAit 
meaning practicable; possible is what may be, not what 
can be. A proposition la logically possible, if it would not 
be known not to be true by a person who should know 
nothing but the principles of logic and the meanings of 
words ; physically possible, if it would not lie known not 
to be true ny one who should know all the laws of nature, 
but none of tlte particular facts ; practically ptuvible, if 
it were not known not to be about to be accomplished to 
one who should know what was in the power of the persons 
concerned, but not their dispositions, etc. 
Desire things possible, 
Thou foolish young man ; nourish not a hope 
Will hale thy heart out. Fletcher, Mad Lover, 11. 2. 
I take it those things are to be held possible which may 
be dune by some person, though not by every one. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, II. 118. 
In such an age, it is possible some great genius may arise, 
to equal any of the ancients ; abating only for the lan- 
guage. /<;>'''", <Jrig. and I'm::, of Satire. 
Is it possible that, when the necessities of life are sup- 
plied, a mail would Hatter to be rich ! 
Steele, Taller, No. 251. 
The marvellous is so fascinating that nine persons in 
teit, if once persuaded that a thing is possible, are eager to 
believe it probable, and at last cunning in convincing 
themselves that it is proven. 
Linrrll, Among my Books, 2d ser., p. 144. 
Possible intellect. See intellect, 1. =8yn. Possible, Prac- 
ticable. See practicable, 
possibly (pos'i-bli), ittlr. 1. In a possible man- 
ner; by any power, moral or physical, really 
existing; by possibility. 2. Perhaps; per- 
chance. 
possum (pos'um). . [Formerly also possouue , 
jMutsoirtie, etc. ; by apheresis from opossum.'] 
Same as OIIOSSUIH. [t'olloq.] 
Amongst the Beasts in Virginia there are two kinds most 
strange. One of them Is the Female Pos&ncnc, which hath 
a bag under her belly, out of which she will let forth her 
young ones, and take them in again at her pleasure. 
S. Clarke, four Plantations in America (1070), p. 14. 
To play possum, to act possum, to feign ; dissemble : 
in allusion to the habit of the opossum, which feigns 
death on the approach or attack of an enemy, and may 
allow itself to be tormented to death without showing a 
sign of life. 
possum (pos'um), r. i. [< poxmiiii, it.] To play 
possum ; feign death. [Colloq.] 
When disturbed they [certain beetles] drop to the ground 
. . . after pfi&umiiuj awhile. 
Insect Life, Jan., 1889, p. 220. 
possum-oak (pos'um-ok), . Same as irnter- 
o<ik. 
post 1 (post), . [< ME. pout, < AS. post, a post, 
stake, = OFries. jxml = D. ML(i. post, post (of 
a door), = OHG. pfosto, MHO. pfnste, O. pfoste 
= Sw. Dan. post, a post, = OF. poste, poust 
(dim. posteau, F. /toteau) = Sp. Pg. ponte, < L. 
postis, a post, door-post (ML. a post, beam, 
rod, pole), also a door; prob. < postus, contr. 
of positun, pp. of poncn; put, set : see posit, 
position. Cf. post*.] 1. A piece of timber, 
metal (solid or built up), or other solid sub- 
stance, of considerable size, set upright, and in- 
tended as a support to a weight or structure 
resting upon it, or BS a firm point of attach- 
ment for something: as, the posts of a door or 
of a gate ; a king-/>af, queen-post, truss-post, 
bed-post; iron pnsts supporting the floor of a 
building; a hitcb.ing-.poxt, etc. 
And Samson . . . took the doors of the gate of the city, 
and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all. 
Judges xvi. 3. 
Through the glass the clothes-line pnttt 
Looked in like tall and sheeted ghosts. 
Whittier, Snow-Bound. 
Specifically (at) A piece of timber set In any position ; 
a beam. 
Vse all possible diligence In well vpholdynge and fort) - 
fylnge the cane with arches of waules tranersed with 
strongeponenof tymbcr after the miner of framed beamea. 
susteyned with grose and stronge pyles made of good and 
stronge tymber of oke or other great trees. 
R. Eden, tr. of Blringucclo's I'yrotechuis (First Books on 
I America, ed. Arbor, p. SS9). 
i6t) An upright piece of timber upon which proclama- 
tions were fixed; also, an upright pin -i- <if timber used for 
keeping a score wbeu marked with chalk ur notches. 
post 
I from my mistress come to you in post ; 
If I return. I shall be past indeed, 
For she will score your fault upon my pat. 
Shale., C. of E., I. 2. 4. 
(ct) A staff. 
A post In hand he bare of mighty pyne, and therewithal! 
He felt his way, and led his slieepe. J'haer, .Km-ld, III. 
(d) In riotin-making. See sound-port. 
2. In coal-mining: (a) A pillar or wall of coal 
left to support the roof of the mine. (6) Fine- 
grained sandstone, such as often occurs form- 
ing a part of the coal-measures. 3. The stern- 
post of a vessel. 
The queene's majestie commanded her bargemen to 
row round her, and viewed her from post to stemme. 
Obtercatioiu of Sir R. UavHus, p. 11. (Latham.) 
4f. Figuratively, a prop ; a support. 
I thenke, . . . sith Love of his godenease 
Hath the converted oute of wfkkydnesse, 
That thon shall ben the lieste putt, I leeve, 
Of alle his lay, and moost his foes to greve. 
fhaucrr, Trollus, 1. 1000. 
5. lapnper-matiuf., a pile of 144 sheets of hand- 
made paper fresh from the mold, arranged 
alternately with pieces of felt, ready to be 
placed in the screw-press; a felt-post. When 
the felts are removed, the pile of paper sheets 
is termed a irliite post. 6. [<poM, r.,4.] The 
state of being posted as rejected in a college ex- 
amination in the University of Cambridge, Eng- 
land. Arm-post, \nfurniture-malring, a small upright 
member supporting the arm of a sofa, or of an arm-chair, at 
the end furthest from the back. Deaf as a post. See 
deaf. False post, a piece of timber fixed on the after part 
of the stern-post of a vessel, to make good a deficiency in 
it. From pillar to post. See polar.- Knight of the 
post*. See knitjht. Middle post, in carp., a king-post. 
Pendent post. See pendent. Phenix post, a trade- 
name for a wronght-iron column or post formed of rolled 
plates riveted together at the edges : largely used in the 
elevated railways of New York Post and paling, a 
close wooden fence, constructed of posts nxed in the 
ground and having pales nailed between them. Post 
and pane, post and petrail. phrases IKK ing a system of 
construction consisting of timber framings tilled in with 
panels of brick or lath and plaster. Post and railing, 
a kind of open wooden fence for the protection of young 
quickset hedges, consisting mainly of pets and rails. 
Post and stall. Same as pillar and breast (which see, 
under pillar). Principal post. See principal.- Side 
post, in arch., one of a pair of truss-posts set each at the 
same distance from the middle of the truss, as u support to 
the principal rafters and to suspend tin tic-beam below. 
Two or three pairs of side posts are sometimes used In 
roofs of extended span : such posts are called primary and 
necmutaru side posts. To kiss tbe POStt. See KM. 
post 1 (post), v. t. [< poiifl, n.] 1. To fix to a 
post; nail or otherwise fasten up in a public 
place, as a notice or an advertisement : as, to 
jiiixt a bill ; to poxt a notice. 
The attempts of which sort of man I can liken to nothing 
so properly as to those pretences to infallible cures hich 
we daily see posted in every corner of the street*. 
South, Sermons, III. vL 
2. To bring before the public notice by means 
of a placard fastened tip in some public place; 
placard: as, to ;>o.sV one for nomination; hence, 
to expose to reproach by overt declaration: 
brand ; stigmatize : as, to j/ost a man as a cow- 
ard. 
(In pain of being posted to your sorrow, 
Fail not at four to meet me. Uranrille. 
3. To raise to the rank of post-captain ; make 
a post-captain of. [Great Britain.] 
Whispers were afloat which came to the ears of the 
Admiralty, and prevented him from being pasted. 
Harryat, 1'eter Simple, Iv. (Dorio.) 
4. Specifically, in the University of Cambridge, 
England, to placard as rejected in a college ex- 
amination. 
Should a man be patted twice In succession, he is gener- 
ally recommended to try the air of some small college, or 
devote his energies to some other walk of life. 
C. A. Bnsted, English Vnivenlty, p. 100. 
5. To placard with handbills; fix notices upon. 
He had the whole printed In great black letters on a 
staring broadsheet, and he caused the walls to he posted 
with It Didrent, Hard Times, ill. 4. 
= Syn. To placard, advertise, announce, blaze abroad, 
post- (post), . [(a) < F. poglf, m., a post, sta- 
tion, guard-house, employment, situation, mili- 
tary post, naval station, = Pg. potto = It. posto, 
station, post (> D. post = G. IIOSUH = Sw. 
Dan. post), < ML. 'postug, m., a station, (b) 
< F. poste, I., a post (establishment for post- 
horses), post (manner of traveling), stage, post- 
liciusf. post-office, post-boy, mail-currier, mail, 
also a military post, = Sp. Pg. It. /./</ (> D. 
(i. Sw. Dun. i">nt), post, post-office, mail, rli-., 
< ML. pontii. (.. a station, a fixed place on a road, 
< L. po.ttus, contr. of y>.<i/H.v. pp. of // n , put. 
?lace, set, fix : sec i>o*il, /Hinitii,ii. mul <-f. //'.] 
. A fixed point or plan-: t he p larc where some 
person or thing is stationed or fixed ; a stntimi 
or position occupied : as, a /tost of observation ; 
