: any of a family (Didelphidae) of small- to medium-sized American marsupials that usually have a pointed snout and nearly hairless scaly prehensile tail, are typically active at night, and are sometimes hunted for their fur or meat
especially: a common omnivorous largely nocturnal mammal (Didelphis virginiana) of North and Central America that is a skilled climber, that typically has a white face and grayish body and in the female a well-developed fur-lined pouch, and that when threatened may feign death by curling up the body and remaining motionless and unresponsive
Recent Examples on the WebLike other animals, however, opossums have their own self-grooming routine, tidying up with their tongues and paws.—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2024 Since then, the virus has infected a range of mammal species across the country, including mountain lions, black bears, polar bears, bottlenose dolphins, harbor seals, coyotes, red foxes, minks, otters, squirrels, raccoons and opossums.—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2024 Other examples of death feigning critters include hognose snakes, the Virginia opossums, and brown widow spiders.—Harri Weber, Popular Science, 8 May 2024 After all, their diet consists in part of carrion, as opossums scavenge among carcasses as well as hunting other small mammals.—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for opossum
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Word History
Etymology
earlier apossoun, opassom, borrowed from a Virginia Algonquian word of uncertain form, going back to Algonquian *wa·p- "white" + *-aʔθemw- "dog, small animal"
: a common marsupial mammal mostly of the eastern U.S. that usually is active at night, has a tail that can wrap around and grasp objects (as tree branches), and is an expert climber
Etymology
from apossoun, opassom, a word in an Algonquian language of Virginia meaning, literally, "white dog"
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