POSSUM

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

possum (plural possums)

(US) An opossum, a marsupial of the family Didelphidae of the Americas.

Any of the marsupials in several families of the order Diprotodontia of Australia and neighboring islands.

Source: Wiktionary


Pos"sum, n. Etym: [Shortened from opossum.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: An opossum. [Colloq. U. S.] To play possum, To act possum, to feign ignorance, indifference or inattention, with the intent to deceive; to dissemble; -- in allusion to the habit of the opossum, which feigns death when attacked or alarmed.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

28 February 2025

PRESCRIPTIVE

(adjective) pertaining to giving directives or rules; “prescriptive grammar is concerned with norms of or rules for correct usage”


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Coffee Trivia

An article published in Harvard Men’s Health Watch in 2012 shows heavy coffee drinkers live longer. The researchers examined data from 400,000 people and found out that men who drank six or more coffee cups per day had a 10% lower death rate.

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