opossum

English

An opossum.

Etymology

From Powhatan opassum (“white animal”); compare Ojibwe waabasim (“white dog”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /əˈpɒsəm/, X-SAMPA: /@"pQs@m/
• (US) enPR: ə-päsʹəm, IPA: /əˈpɑsəm/, X-SAMPA: /@"pAs@m/
• Hyphenation: o‧pos‧sum

Noun

opossum (plural opossums)

1. (zoology) Any American marsupial of the genera Didelphys and Chironectes. The common species of the United States is Didelphys virginiana.

Synonyms

• possum (US)

Derived terms

• water opossum (Chironectes variegatus)
• opossum mouse
• opossum shrimp

Translations

marsupial of the genera Didelphys Didelphys and Chironectes Chironectes

• Arabic: أوبسوم (ar) ('ubusum) m
• Basque: zarigueia (eu)
• Bulgarian: опосум (bg) (opósum)
• Cherokee: ᏏᏆᎤᏤᏣᏍᏗ (chr) (siquautsetsasdi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 負鼠 (cmn), 负鼠 (cmn) (fùshǔ), 奧珀瑟姆 (cmn), 奥珀瑟姆 (cmn) (àopòsèmǔ)

• Czech: vačice (cs) f
• Dutch: opossum (nl), Amerikaanse buidelrat (nl)
• Esperanto: posumo (eo)
• Finnish: opossumi (fi)
• French: sarigue (fr) f, opossum (fr) m
• Georgian: ოპოსუმისებრნი (ka) (oposumisebni)
• German: Beutelratte (de) f
• Greek: οπόσουμ (el) (opósoum) n
• Hebrew: אופוסום (he) (opossum)
• Hungarian: oposszum (hu)
• Icelandic: pokarotta (is) f

• Irish: apasam (ga) m
• Japanese: オポッサム (ja) (opossamu)
• Korean: 주머니쥐 (ko) (jumeonijwi)
• Lithuanian: oposumai
• Navajo: biyázhí neiyéhé
• Norwegian: pungrotte (no) f
• Ojibwe: ayaanii
• Persian: صاریغ (fa) (sâriğ)
• Portuguese: gambá m, cuíca f
• Romanian: oposum (ro) m, (rare) sarigă (ro) f
• Russian: опоссум (ru) (opóssum) m
• Spanish: zarigüeya f (especially formal or scientific usage), carachupa f (Bolivia), chucha f (Colombia), comadreja f (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay), faro m (Venezuelan Andes), muca f (Peru), rabipelado m (Venezuelan standard usage), raposa f (Ecuador), tacuacín m (Honduras), tacuazín m (El Salvador, Guatemala), tlacuache m (Mexico), zorro cola pelada m (Nicaragua), zorro pelón m (Costa Rica)
• Swahili: oposumu (sw)
• Swedish: pungråtta c

See also

• Opossum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Opossum on Wikispecies. Wikispecies

References

• opossum in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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Dutch

Noun

opossum ? (plural opossums, diminutive opossumpje)

1. opossum

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French

Noun

opossum m (plural opossums)

1. opossum