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.

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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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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

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

A Heidelberg research team has now generated comprehensive genetic maps of the development of cells in the cerebella of human, mouse and opossum.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2023

The opossum waves one of his strange humanlike paws—it’s pinkish and flattish and has long, hairless toes.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz