opossum

American  

[uh-pos-uhm, pos-uhm] / əˈpɒs əm, ˈpɒs əm /

noun

PLURAL

opossums

PLURAL

opossum

1. a prehensile-tailed marsupial, Didelphis virginiana, of the eastern U.S., the female having an abdominal pouch in which its young are carried: noted for the habit of feigning death when in danger.

2. any of various animals of related genera.

---

opossum British  

/ əˈpɒsəm /

noun

1. Sometimes (informal) shortened to: possum.  any thick-furred marsupial, esp Didelphis marsupialis ( common opossum ), of the family Didelphidae of S North, Central, and South America, having an elongated snout and a hairless prehensile tail

2. Also called (Austral and NZ): possum.  any of various similar animals, esp the phalanger, Trichosurus vulpecula, of the New Zealand bush

---

Etymology

Origin of opossum

First recorded in 1600–10, from Virginia Algonquian ( English spelling) opassom, opussum, aposoum (equivalent to Proto-Algonquian (unattested) wa˙p- “white” + (unattested) -aʔθemw- “dog”)

Example Sentences

The second season, which premieres Tuesday, is called “Lost in the Jungle,” and it follows the journeys of an opossum, an iguana and a jumping spider in the Central American rainforest.

From Los Angeles Times

A flea becomes infected when it bites rats, opossums and stray cats that are carrying the disease.

From Los Angeles Times

The noises were no stray opossum or raccoon but a man — reportedly naked and, authorities said, living in the crawl space underneath the woman’s home.

From Los Angeles Times

Officials said one pair had items that would aid them in carrying out thefts — as well as, strangely, wild opossums.

From Los Angeles Times

A beaver’s tail creates a rhythm on the deck and an opossum has a bass fashioned out of a gourd.

From Los Angeles Times