Crossword Genius

As possessed by the penniless (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nil

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'as' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how one could define the other.

'possessed by the penniless' is the wordplay.
'possessed by' indicates a hidden word.
'NIL' is hidden within 'penniless'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nil that I've seen before include "Nix, nada, nothing" , "Zero, zilch" , "Nothing, zilch" , "Nothing, zero" , "Nothing found in senility" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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