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Meaning of "opossum" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD OPOSSUM

From Algonquian aposoum; related to Delaware apässum, literally: white beast.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF OPOSSUM

opossum  [əˈpɒsəm] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF OPOSSUM

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Opossum is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES OPOSSUM MEAN IN ENGLISH?

opossum

Opossum

Opossums make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, including 103 or more species in 19 genera. They are also commonly called possums, though that term technically refers to Australian fauna of the suborder Phalangeriformes. The Virginia opossum was the first animal to be named an opossum; usage of the name was published in 1610. The word opossum was borrowed from the Virginia Algonquian language in the form aposoum and ultimately derives from the Proto-Algonquian word *wa˙p- aʔθemw, meaning "white dog" or "white beast/animal". Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet, and reproductive strategy make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.

Definition of opossum in the English dictionary

The definition of opossum in the dictionary is any thick-furred marsupial, esp Didelphis marsupialis, of the family Didelphidae of S North, Central, and South America, having an elongated snout and a hairless prehensile tail Sometimes shortened to: possum. Other definition of opossum is Also called : possum. any of various similar animals, esp the phalanger, Trichosurus vulpecula, of the New Zealand bush.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH OPOSSUM


awesome
ˈɔːsəm
awsome
ˈɔːsəm
balsam
ˈbɔːlsəm
blossom
ˈblɒsəm
buxom
ˈbʌksəm
cumbersome
ˈkʌmbəsəm
emblossom
ɪmˈblɒsəm
Epsom
ˈɛpsəm
foursome
ˈfɔːsəm
gruesome
ˈɡruːsəm
gypsum
ˈdʒɪpsəm
handsome
ˈhændsəm
lonesome
ˈləʊnsəm
odontoglossum
ɒˌdɒntəˈɡlɒsəm
possum
ˈpɒsəm
ransom
ˈrænsəm
reblossom
riːˈblɒsəm
threesome
ˈθriːsəm
troublesome
ˈtrʌbəlsəm
wholesome
ˈhəʊlsəm

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE OPOSSUM

opium den
opium poppy
opium war
Opium Wars
opiumism
opobalsam
opodeldoc
opopanax
oporice
Oporto
opossum block
opossum shrimp
opotherapy
opp.
Oppenheimer
oppidan
oppignerate
oppignorate
oppignoration
oppilant

WORDS THAT END LIKE OPOSSUM

alyssum
brush-tail possum
brush-tailed possum
crissum
fideicommissum
grassum
play possum
pygmy possum
ringtail possum
sargassum
sweet alyssum

Synonyms and antonyms of opossum in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «opossum» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF OPOSSUM

Find out the translation of opossum to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of opossum from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «opossum» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

负鼠
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

zarigüeya
570 millions of speakers

English

opossum
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

ओपस्सम
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الأبوسوم
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

опоссум
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

gambá
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

আমেরিকার একজাতীয় বৃক্ষবাসী স্তন্যপায়ী প্রাণী
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

opossum
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Opossum
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Beutelratte
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

オポッサム
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

주머니쥐
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Opossum
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

giống đại thử
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

மரங்களில் வாழும் ஒரு வகை அமெரிக்க சிறிய விலங்கினம்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

ओपसूम
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

opossum
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

opossum
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

opos
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

опосум
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

oposum
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

opossum
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

opossum
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

opossum
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

opossum
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of opossum

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «OPOSSUM»

The term «opossum» is regularly used and occupies the 68.060 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
68
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «opossum» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of opossum
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «opossum».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «OPOSSUM» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «opossum» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «opossum» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about opossum

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «OPOSSUM»

Discover the use of opossum in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to opossum and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Life Cycle of an Opossum
Learn how opossums live from birth to death.
Barbara M. Linde, 2011
2
Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and ...
The earliest known remains likely representing the Virginia opossum date from the Sangamon Interglacial Stage of the Pleistocene (Hibbard et al. 1965). Post- Wisconsin remains are widespread in the United States and Mexico. The earliest  ...
George A. Feldhamer, Bruce C. Thompson, Joseph A. Chapman, 2003
3
The Myths of the Opossum: Pathways of Mesoamerican Mythology
Published in 1990 under the titleLos mitos del tlacuache, this is the first major theoretical study of Mesoamerican mythology by one of the foremost scholars of Aztec ideology.
Alfredo Lopez Austin, 2011
4
An Atlas of Opossum Organogenesis
The notochordal tissue of the 7.5-8.0 mm opossum embryo consists of a network of cells separated by large vacuoles filled with a mucopolysaccharide type of material and is limited externally by a thin sheath. In the 11.0 mm opossum embryo ...
William J. Krause, 2008
5
Wildlife of Pennsylvania and the Northeast
The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is one of the worlds most primitive living mammals and the only marsupial inhabiting America north of Mexico. Marsupials give birth to tiny, almost embryonic young, which their mother carries in a ...
Charles Fergus, 2000
6
There's an Opossum in My Backyard
One morning a mother opossum was late getting back to her nest after a night of hunting for food. She was carrying her babies on her back. She ran along the top of a fence so hard that one of them bounced off. It landed on top of its tail and ...
Gary Bogue, 2007
7
Life of Marsupials
chromosomes are very different from those of the common opossum, the white- eared opossum and the gray four-eyed opossum. Whereas these three species have 22 single arm chromosomes (ie the centromere of each is at the end of the ...
C. Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe, 2005
8
Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, ...
that a dog who one night ate an opossum's tail was found at dawn dragging its intestines behind it. Perhaps because s/he is such a good extractor, Opossum can bring the dawn, extracting it from the underworld. In the Popol Vuh, Opossum  ...
Kay Almere Read, Jason J. Gonzalez, 2002
9
Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, ...
[Holothylax opossum] melanurus: Cabrera, 1919:48; name combination. Metachirops opossum melanurus: L ̈onnberg, 1921:4; name combination. Philander opossum melanurus: Cabrera, 1958:35; name combination. This subspecies ...
Alfred L. Gardner, 2008
10
Why Mole Lives Underground, the Story of Lightning and ...
Why opossUM's Tail is gray He continued to run as fast as he could. But a furry tail was no place to hide fire. First, the tail got hot. Then it became smoky. Then it began to ignite. It burst into flames. Opossum looked behind him. He saw that the  ...
Antonio Blane, 2010

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «OPOSSUM»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term opossum is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Video: This Opossum Massage Tutorial is the Weirdest Thing You'll …
We can't think of a wild animal we'd like to massage less than an opossum, especially if they're wet. Okay, so bears and a few others may also ... «OutdoorHub, Jul 15»
2
Texas community comes together to try and save sick horse
... him with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, or opossum disease. ... when horses eat feed or drink water contaminated by opossum feces. «Theadanews, Jul 15»
3
DC Animal Watch
An officer removed an opossum that was playing dead and scaring people near a restaurant's patio seating area. The healthy animal was ... «Washington Post, Jul 15»
4
GREGORSKI: Plenty going on in the backyard if you just take a look
Haven't seen the bobcat, raccoon, red fox, wild turkey, opossum or coyote lately. There have been about a dozen species of songbirds that ... «Waterbury Republican American, Jul 15»
5
New Wildlife Action Plan Takes Data-Based Approach To Protecting …
“You wouldn't believe it,” Ossi says, “But the opossum is on the list of species of greatest conservation need in the district.” In both cases, Ossi ... «WAMU 88.5, Jul 15»
6
Stage listings
“My Alma Martyr” Opossum State College Class of 1938 celebrates its 10-year reunion, but the event is marred by tragedy. Presented by Coeur ... «The Spokesman Review, Jul 15»
7
Watch: Woman tries to save opossum on side of tollway
A woman on her way to work spotted a struggling opossum that had been by a car on the side of a busy tollway. Instantly, she pulled over and ... «USA TODAY, Jul 15»
8
Dave Lavender: New music festival creating excitement in Kentucky
I had a killer time being back in town last week and catching a lot of live music. Although I didn't know the featured band, the Opossum Trot ... «Huntington Herald Dispatch, Jul 15»
9
James has proud family link to USQ
At the time of his death at the age of 86, Mr Josey owned 350 acres of land at Redbank Plains and 7000 acres at Opossum Creek. Although he ... «The Queensland Times, Jul 15»
10
Royal B.C. Museum releases first-ever children's book
It includes mammals, such as the eastern grey squirrel and the North American opossum; amphibians and reptiles such as the American ... «Victoria News, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Opossum [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/opossum>. Apr 2024 ».
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