Semantics
The relationship expressed by possessive determiners and similar forms is not necessarily one of possession in the strict sense of ownership. The "possessor" may be, for example:
- the person or thing to which the "possessed" stands in the designated relationship (my mother, his wife, your subordinates, our boss);
- the person or thing of which the "possessed" is a part (my leg, the building's walls);
- a person or thing affiliated with or identifying with the "possessed" (his country, our class, my people);
- the performer, or sometimes the undergoer, of an action (his arrival, the government's overthrow)
- the creator, supervisor, user, etc. of the "possessed" (Prince's album, the Irish jockey's horse).
For more examples, see Possession (linguistics) and English possessive: Semantics.
Read more about this topic: Possessive