I’ve always thought this word confusion opossum vs possum were two different animals. Turns out I’m wrong.
A possum is simply an informal way of saying opossum.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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Opossum | Possum |
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Part of Grammar: | |
Noun
Plural: opossum, opossums |
Noun
Plural: possum, possums |
Noun: An American marsupial which has a naked prehensile tail and hind feet with an opposable thumb |
Noun: [Chiefly Southern US; informal] An opossum A tree-dwelling Australasian marsupial that typically has a prehensile tail |
Examples: | |
Noun: The cat-sized common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) of North, Central, and South America was formerly known as the Virginia opossum in North America and was considered a distinct species (D. virginiana). “Some few species alone have passed the barrier, and may be considered as wanderers from the south, such as the puma, opossum, kinkajou, and peccari” (Darwin, ch 7). “The staid, sober, thinking, and industrious ones of our number would employ themselves in making corn-brooms, mats, horse-collars, and baskets; and another class of us would spend the time in hunting opossums, hares, and coons” (Douglass, ch 10). |
Noun: She’s just playing possum. Possums can be found in North and Central America as well as Australia. “He’s about as big as a big ‘possum, and his face is striped, black and white” (Cather). “Those tangy frosty afternoons, when he had been forced to clean barns and plow while the other boys went rabbit and possum hunting or nutting, were afternoons whose loss he still mourned” (Haldeman-Julius). |
History of the Word: | |
Early 17th century, from the Virginia Algonquian opassom, from op (white) + assom (dog). | Early 17th century in a shortening of opossum. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Opossum versus Possum
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Apple Dictionary.com
Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Originally published 1918. Global Publishers, 2024. <https://www.amazon.com/My-Antonia-Original-Cather-Classics-ebook/dp/B0BY7LQBNK>. Ebook.
Darwin, Charles. The Voyage of the Beagle. Originally published 1839. Penguin Classics, 1989. <https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Beagle-Charles-Darwin/dp/014043268X>. Ebook.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. Originally published 1845. Grapevine, 2019. <https://www.amazon.com/Narrative-Life-Frederick-Douglass-ebook/dp/B07Y22HB74/>. Ebook.
The Free Dictionary: opossum, possum
Haldeman-Julius, Marcet and Emanuel Haldeman-Julius. Dust. Originally published New York: Brentano’s, 1921. 2012. <https://www.amazon.com/Dust-Marcet-Haldeman-Julius-ebook/dp/B0083ZXXQM/>. Ebook.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Nordopossum is Ventus55‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
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