The story
From pre- (prefix meaning ‘before, earlier in time’) + possess. Cognates * Late Latin prepossessus (“seized beforehand”)
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
prepossess
pre·pos·sessToday it means: Chiefly followed by by or with: to preoccupy (someone) in an emotional or mental way, so as to preclude other things. Full definition →