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opossum definition

☆ opos·sum (ə päs′əm)

noun pl. opossums -·sums or opossum -·sum

any of various families (esp. Didelphidae) of marsupials; esp., any of a small, omnivorous, tree-dwelling American species (Didelphis marsupialis) with a ratlike, prehensile tail, that is active at night and becomes motionless when endangered

Etymology: < AmInd (Algonquian) name, lit., white beast

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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