Own
Own (ōn) , transitive verb
[Old English unnen to grant, permit, be pleased with, Anglo-Saxon unnan to grant; akin to Old Saxon giunnan, German gonnen, Icelandic unna; of uncertain origin. This word has been confused with own to possess.]
To grant; to acknowledge; to admit to be true; to confess; to recognize in a particular character; as, we own that we have forfeited your love.
The wakeful bloodhound rose, and shook his hide;
But his sagacious eye an inmate owns.
Own , adjective
[Old English owen, awen, auen, aughen, Anglo-Saxon āgen, past participle of āgan to possess; akin to Old Saxon ēgan, German & Dutch eigen, Icelandic eiginn, Swedish & Danish egen. r110. See Owe.]
Belonging to; belonging exclusively or especially to; peculiar; -- most frequently following a possessive pronoun, as my, our, thy, your, his, her, its, their, in order to emphasize or intensify the idea of property, peculiar interest, or exclusive ownership; as, my own father; my own composition; my own idea; at my own price.
No man was his own [i. e., no man was master of himself, or in possession of his senses].
Collocations (1)
To hold one's own , to keep or maintain one's possessions; to yield nothing; esp., to suffer no loss or disadvantage in a contest. — Shakespeare
Own , transitive verb
[Old English ohnien, ahnien, Anglo-Saxon āgnian, from āgen own, a. See Own, a.]
To hold as property; to have a legal or rightful title to; to be the proprietor or possessor of; to possess; as, to own a house.