opossum

American  

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

noun

• opossums,
  plural
• opossum
  plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• opossum
  plural
• opossums
  plural

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”)

Explanation

An opossum is a small, nocturnal animal famous for its ability to play dead when threatened by predators. Opossums are marsupials, which means mothers carry their babies in a pouch. Opossums are also called possums, and the colloquial phrase used when they play dead is "playing possum." These omnivorous, cat-sized mammals often get a bad rap, thought of as dirty, hissing creatures that lurk around your garbage cans at night. In reality, opossums are very clean and highly social. They also perform the important task of fighting Lyme disease: one opossum can eat as many as 5,000 ticks each year.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

opossum opossums

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 ● Jun. 11, 2024

The demolished deer, the obliterated opossum, the wrecked raccoon: This is the detritus of our human-dominated age.

From Slate ● May 25, 2024

In the end, though, it was just a "giant opossum that was under the house", she testified.

From BBC ● May 9, 2024

The Heidelberg researchers have now systematically classified all cell types in the developing cerebellum of human, mouse and opossum.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 2023

Now your tongue drops dead like an opossum, while your jaw begins to gallop on the spot.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

A national pest control company will provide opossums, rats, raccoons, and skunks from 10 cities.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 29, 2024

Fish & Wildlife Service and Southern Illinois University have outfitted opossums and raccoons with tracking collars affixed with sensors that are triggered when the animal dies.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 11, 2023

“Unlike gut piles, which are often peppered with bullet fragments, car-killed opossums and squirrels come lead-free, Whole Foods for the necrophagous set.”

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2023

While often referred to as “koala bears,” koalas are not bears but are marsupials like kangaroos or opossums.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2023

This is how opossums must feel, the ones that make it across the road.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti