# opossum

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈpɒsəm/ · frequency rank #54,987

## Definitions
1. Any American marsupial of the family Didelphidae in the order Didelphimorphia.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-
Proto-Algonquian *aθemwa
Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔθemwa
Powhatan aposoumbor.
English opossum
From Powhatan aposoum (“white animal”), from Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔθemwa (“white dog”); compare Ojibwe waabasim (“white dog”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/opossum