Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, furry, tree-dwelling marsupial native to Australia, typically having a long, often prehensile tail.
   • A nocturnal, tree-dwelling marsupial with a hairless, prehensile tail, found from the southern United States to northern South America. This animal is more precisely called an opossum.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • We saw a possum with a baby in its pouch climbing the eucalyptus tree.
  • The Virginia opossum, often called a possum, is the only marsupial native to North America.
  • A common sight in Australian suburbs is the ringtail possum visiting gardens at night.

Advanced Usage and Idioms

• "to play possum": To pretend to be asleep, unconscious, or dead; to feign ignorance or inactivity in order to deceive or avoid something.
  • When the teacher asked who broke the vase, the student just played possum and stared at his book.
  • The opossum's primary defense mechanism is to play possum, lying completely still to fool predators.

Variants and Related Words

• Opossum (noun): The more formal or zoological name for the marsupial found in the Americas. In many regions, especially in North America, "possum" is a common colloquial shortening of "opossum."
• Phalanger (noun): A term for various Australian possums, especially those of the family Phalangeridae.
• Ringtail possum (noun): A specific type of Australian possum with a tail that curls at the end.
• Brushtail possum (noun): A common Australian possum with a bushy tail.

Synonyms

• Marsupial (noun): A broader category of mammals that carry their young in a pouch, which includes possums, kangaroos, and koalas.
• Opossum (noun): The specific term for the American animal.

Notes on Meaning

• In Australia and New Zealand, "possum" refers exclusively to native marsupials like the brushtail and ringtail possums.
• In North America, "possum" is a common informal term for the Virginia opossum (). The idiom "play possum" originates from this animal's behavior.
• The two groups (Australian possums and American opossums) are different species within the marsupial family.

Noun

1. small furry Australian arboreal marsupials having long usually prehensile tails
2. nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America