OPOSSUM

opossum, possum

(noun) nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America

phalanger, opossum, possum

(noun) small furry Australian arboreal marsupials having long usually prehensile tails

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

opossum (plural opossums)

Any American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. The common species of the United States is Didelphis virginiana.

Synonyms

• possum (US)

Source: Wiktionary


O*pos"sum, n. Etym: [Of N. American Indian origin.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any American marsupial of the genera Didelphys and Chironectes. The common species of the United States is Didelphys Virginiana.

Note: Several related species are found in South America. The water opossum of Brazil (Chironectes variegatus), which has the hind feet, webbed, is provided with a marsupial pouch and with cheek pouches. It is called also yapock. Opossum mouse. (Zoöl.) See Flying mouse, under Flying.

– Opossum shrimp (Zoöl.), any schizopod crustacean of the genus Mysis and allied genera. See Schizopoda.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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