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Added 10 October 2026

opossum

/əˈpɒsəm/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about opossum at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Small furry Australian arboreal marsupials having long usually prehensile tails.
Nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America.

Origin

From Powhatan aposoum (“white animal”), from Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔθemwa (“white dog”); compare Ojibwe waabasim (“white dog”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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