Dictionary

posset en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɑsɪt/ (General-American)
• /ˈpɒsɪt/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English posset, possot, possate, poshet, posthot, of unclear origin. Perhaps from Welsh posel. A connection to Latin pōsca (medieval/dialectal poscada) has also been suggested.

Meanings

1. A beverage composed of hot milk curdled by some strong infusion, such as wine.
   • I have drugged their possets. c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
2. A baby's vomit, comprising curdled milk.
   • Some people will tell you that this position may allow inhalation of posset, but there is no evidence to support this. 2008, Miriam Stoppard, Complete Baby and Childcare: Everything You Need to Know for the First Five Years, Dorling Kindersley Ltd, →ISBN:
   • Derek saw that a smear of posset had appeared on the left shoulder of his jacket [...] He smiled softly at Charlotte and said softly, 'I've been puked on.' 2012, Dave Hill, Man Alive, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
   • While a little posseting is nothing to be worried about, a lot of posset is more likely to be 'reflux'. 2014, Nick Harper, Help! I'm a Dad: All a new dad needs to know about the difficult first few months, Michael O'Mara Books, →ISBN:
3. A pudding-like food composed of cream, sugar, and other flavorings, such as lemon.
   • When the posset was brought forth, he turned himself into a bear, and frightening them away, had it all to himself. 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 289:
   • LEMON POSSET / WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS : The classic English dessert lemon posset transforms cream, sugar, and lemon into a lush pudding with clean citrus flavor. It is the easiest dessert you've never made.[…] 2022 October 4, America's Test Kitchen, The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001–2023: Every Recipe from the Hit TV Show Along with Product Ratings Includes the 2023 Season, America's Test Kitchen, →ISBN, page 939:

Forms

Translations (2)

grc κυκεών (a beverage composed of curdled milk) · fr posset (a beverage composed of curdled milk)

posset en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɑsɪt/ (General-American)
• /ˈpɒsɪt/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English posset, possot, possate, poshet, posthot, of unclear origin. Perhaps from Welsh posel. A connection to Latin pōsca (medieval/dialectal poscada) has also been suggested.

Meanings

1. (obsolete) To curdle; to turn, as milk; to coagulate.
   • […] And with a ſodaine vigour it [Hebenon, a poison] doth poſſet / And curd, like Aygre [vinegar] droppings into Milke, / The thin and wholſome blood: […] c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v], page 258:
   • to posset the blood
2. To treat with possets; to pamper.
   • Nevertheless, as she laid him in bed and posseted him, how frail and fragile he looked! 1908, Arnold Bennett, The Old Wives' Tale:
3. (of a baby) To vomit up curdled milk.
   • It's also common for babies to 'posset' - bring up small amounts of milk after a feed - and to vomit occasionally. 2012, Andy Raffles, Felicity Fine, Harriet Sharkey, Yehudi Gordon, Mother and Baby Health: The A-Z of pregnancy, birth and beyond, Random House, →ISBN, page 421:
   • Some babies never posset at all. Others do so with surprising ease, and this can be quite a cause of concern to parents. 1990, Miriam Stoppard, The New Baby Care Book, →ISBN:
   • All babies posset. 2003, Pearson Education, Limited, Baby's First Year, Pearson South Africa →ISBN, page 23

Forms

Deriveds

sneck posset · give a sneck posset

Synonyms

coddle (pamper) · cosset · pamper