nocturnal, omnivorous American marsupial mammal, c. 1600, from Powhatan (Algonquian) opassum, "equivalent to a proto-Algonquian term meaning 'white dog'" [Bright]. The colloquial form is possum (q.v.).
Entries linking to opossum
possum n.
American marsupial mammal, 1610s, shortened form of opossum (q.v.). It is nocturnal, omnivorous, and when caught or threatened with danger feigns death; hence the phrase play possum "feign death when threatened," attested by 1822.