Opossum Definition
ə-pŏsəm, pŏsəm
opossums
noun
opossums
Any of various families (esp. Didelphidae) of marsupials; esp., any of a small, omnivorous, tree-dwelling American species (Didelphis marsupialis) with a ratlike, prehensile tail, that is active at night and becomes motionless when endangered.
Webster's New World
A possum of Australia and adjacent islands.
American Heritage
Other Word Forms of Opossum
Noun
Singular:
opossum
Plural:
opossumsOrigin of Opossum
-
From Powhatan aposoum (“white animal”), from Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔθemw (“white dog”); compare Ojibwe waabasim (“white dog”).
From Wiktionary
Virginia Algonquian
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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