Besitta

Besitta is a Swedish verb meaning to possess, hold, or have something. It is used to express ownership of property, rights, or abstract qualities, and is common in formal, legal, or literary contexts. In everyday speech, äga is often preferred when talking about ownership of tangible objects.

Besitta takes a direct object and can describe both concrete possessions and abstract assets, such as “hon besitter stor kunskap” (she possesses great knowledge) or “företaget besitter flera varumärken.” The related noun besittning means possession or occupancy and is frequent in legal and administrative language.

In contemporary usage, besitta can convey control or mastery as well as possession, for example “politiker besitter stor makt” or “myndigheterna besitter befogenheten.” It tends to appear in formal writing and journalism rather than casual speech, where äga or inneha are more common.

See also:

- Besittning

- Äga

- Inneha