opossum

[ uh-pos-uhm, pos-uhm ]

/ əˈpɒs əm, ˈpɒs əm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR opossum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural o·pos·sums, (especially collectively) o·pos·sum.

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.

any of various animals of related genera.

Also called possum.

Origin of opossum

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

Words nearby opossum

Opium War, Opium Wars, OPM, Opole, Oporto, opossum, opossum block, opossum shrimp, opotherapy, opp., Oppenheim

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for opossum

A Bear, a Fox, and an Opossum were attacked by an inundation.
Fantastic Fables|Ambrose Bierce
On January 15, 1950, an owl attacked an opossum caught in a live-trap.
Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas|Henry S. Fitch
The opossum runs in a very curious manner, moving both limbs of the same side together.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood
It is a smaller animal than the opossum, aquatic in its habits, and in fact approaches nearer to the family of the water-rats.
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found|Mayne Reid

A poor devil of a monkey, that you could knock over with a bit of a stick; as easily as you could kill an opossum.
The Tiger Hunter|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for opossum

opossum

/ (əˈpɒsəm) /

noun plural -sums or -sum

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 tailSometimes (informal) shortened to: possum

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

Word Origin for opossum

C17: from Algonquian aposoum; related to Delaware apässum, literally: white beast

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

单词	opossum
释义	opossum [ uh-pos-uhm, pos-uhm ] / əˈpɒs əm, ˈpɒs əm / SEE SYNONYMS FOR opossum ON THESAURUS.COM noun, plural o·pos·sums, (especially collectively) o·pos·sum. 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. any of various animals of related genera. Also called possum. Origin of opossum First recorded in 1600–10, Americanism; from Virginia Algonquian (English spelling) opassom, opussum, aposoum (equivalent to Proto-Algonquian (unattested) wa˙p- “white” + (unattested) -aʔθemw- “dog”) Words nearby opossum Opium War, Opium Wars, OPM, Opole, Oporto, opossum, opossum block, opossum shrimp, opotherapy, opp., Oppenheim Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for opossum A Bear, a Fox, and an Opossum were attacked by an inundation. Fantastic Fables\|Ambrose Bierce On January 15, 1950, an owl attacked an opossum caught in a live-trap. Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas\|Henry S. Fitch The opossum runs in a very curious manner, moving both limbs of the same side together. The Animal World, A Book of Natural History\|Theodore Wood It is a smaller animal than the opossum, aquatic in its habits, and in fact approaches nearer to the family of the water-rats. Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found\|Mayne Reid A poor devil of a monkey, that you could knock over with a bit of a stick; as easily as you could kill an opossum. The Tiger Hunter\|Mayne Reid British Dictionary definitions for opossum opossum / (əˈpɒsəm) / noun plural -sums or -sum 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 tailSometimes (informal) shortened to: possum Also called (Austral and NZ): possum any of various similar animals, esp the phalanger, Trichosurus vulpecula, of the New Zealand bush Word Origin for opossum C17: from Algonquian aposoum; related to Delaware apässum, literally: white beast Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Words related to opossum wombat, koala, kangaroo, possum, wallaby, bandicoot, euro
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opossum

noun, plural o·pos·sums, (especially collectively) o·pos·sum.

Origin of opossum

Words nearby opossum

Example sentences from the Web for opossum

British Dictionary definitions for opossum

noun plural -sums or -sum

Word Origin for opossum

Words related to opossum