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A perverse fancy; a whim which takes possession of the mind; a conceit. He ruined himself and all that trusted in him by crotchets that he could never explain to any rational man. De Quincey.

To keep from the rightful owner; to withhold wrongfully the possession of, as of lands or a freehold.

One who keeps out of possession the rightful owner of an estate.

To give or transfer; to yield possession or control of; to part with (to); to make over; to commit; to surrender; to resign; -- often with up or over, to or into. Thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand. Gen. xl. 13. The constables have delivered her over. Shak. The exalted mind All sense of woe delivers to the…

Demoniacal influence or possession. J. Baillie.

e enjoyment or the thought of any good, and impels to action or effort its continuance or possession; an eager wish to obtain or enjoy. Unspeakable desire to see and know. Milton.

Forsaken; not having in possession (something necessary, or desirable); deficient; lacking; devoid; -- often followed by of. In thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. Ps. cxli. 8. Totally destitute of all shadow of influence. Burke.

The keeping possession of what belongs to another; detention of what is another's, even though the original taking may have been lawful. Forcible detainer is indictable at common law.

ne that lies against him who wrongfully detains goods or chattels delivered to him, or in possession, to recover the thing itself, or its value and damages, from the detainer. It is now in a great measure superseded by other remedies.

Destitute; not in possession; -- with of; as, devoid of sense; devoid of pity or of pride.

Possession by the devil. Bp. Warburton.

Severed from the appropriation or possession of a spiritual corporation. The appropriation may be severed, and the church become disappropriate, two ways. Blackstone.

A lack of common possessions, properties, or relationship. Community of embryonic structure reveals community of descent; but dissimilarity of embryonic development does not prove discommunity of descent. Darwin.

One whose possession of an estate is broken off, or discontinued; one whose estate is subject to discontinuance.

One who deprives another of the possession of an estate by discontinuance. See Discontinuance, 2.

To disinherit; to cut off, or detain, from the possession or enjoyment of an inheritance. [Obs.] Spenser.

om an inheritance or from hereditary succession; to prevent, as an heir, from coming into possession of any property or right, which, by law or custom, would devolve on him in the course of descent. Of how fair a portion Adam disinherited his whole posterity! South.

c. of; to direct or assign for a use. Freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons. Locke.

To put out of possession; to deprive of the actual occupancy of, particularly of land or real estate; to disseize; to eject; -- usually followed by of before the thing taken away; as, to dispossess a king of his crown. Usurp the land, and dispossess the swain. Goldsmith.

To strive or contend about; to contest. To dispute the possession of the ground with the Spaniards. Prescott.