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obsess: a transitive verb meaning to fill the mind, haunt or cause(a person)to be preoccupied with something. The usage is gradually shifting to an intransitive mode, causing a loss of precise meaning. Traditional transitive usage examples are "I obsess her", "She is obsessed by me", "I have an obsession with correct usage", "Correct usage obsesses me"
The new intransitive usage results in "I am obsessing over him", "I am obsessing with correct usage"
Comparing with the use of say, 'fascinate', another transitive verb, this usage would produce the patently nonsensical "I am fascinating over him", "I am fascinating with correct usage".
The development of language does not recognise 'correctness', only the reality of shifting usage, but shifts in usage that blur or confuse meaning can reasonably be resisted, even if this is a Canute-like endeavour.
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