# possum

Pronunciation: say "POS-uhm" US /ˈpɑsəm/, UK /ˈpɒsəm/

## Noun

1. Another name for the opossum, any of the American marsupials of the family Didelphidae. *(US)*
   - Simple: An opossum, one of the pouched animals that live in North and South America.
   - _A possum was raiding the trash cans behind our garage in Ohio every night._
   - _Driving home through rural Tennessee, we slowed for a possum crossing the road with babies clinging to its back._
2. A marsupial belonging to one of several families in the order Diprotodontia, native to Australia and nearby islands.
   - Simple: Any of several kinds of pouched animals from Australia and nearby islands.
   - _In Australia, a possum had moved into the attic and kept the family awake at night._
   - _On a night walk in a Sydney park, we spotted two possums feeding high in a gum tree._
4. An affectionate form of address for someone such as a child, a partner, or an audience. *(colloquial, Australia)*
   - Simple: A loving word used when talking to someone, like a child, a partner, or a crowd watching a show.
   - _Don't worry, possum, Mum will be back from the shops soon._
   - _The host swept onto the stage and greeted the audience with a cheery "Hello, possums!"_

## Verb

3. To pretend to be asleep, ill, or dead; to play possum.
   - Simple: To pretend to be asleep, sick, or dead.

## Origin

A shortened form of opossum, made by dropping its first sound and recorded from 1613. Opossum is from the Powhatan language of Virginia, noted by English settlers at Jamestown, and goes back to an Algonquian word for a white, dog-like animal.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/possum (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).