possum

views updated May 18 2018

pos·sum / ˈpäsəm/ • n. 1. inf. an opossum. 2. a tree-dwelling Australasian marsupial (Petauridae and other families) that typically has a prehensile tail.PHRASES: play possum1. pretend to be asleep or unconscious when threatened (in imitation of an opossum’s behavior). 2. feign ignorance.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

possum

views updated May 23 2018

possum Popular name for any of the phalangers of Australasia. The term is also a US word for the opossum.

World Encyclopedia

Possum

views updated May 23 2018

Possum (poss-ŭm) n. a device that enables severely paralysed patients to use typewriters, telephones, and other machines. Modern Possums are operated by micro-switches that require only the slightest movement in any limb. The name derives from Patient-Operated Selector Mechanism (POSM).

A Dictionary of Nursing

possum

views updated May 21 2018

possum Aphetic of OPOSSUM; now esp. in colloq. phr. (orig. U.S.) play p. pretend to be disabled, with ref. to the opossum's feigning death when attacked. XVII.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

possum

views updated May 21 2018

possum See PHALANGERIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

Possum

views updated Jun 11 2018

Possum (ˈpɒsəm) patient-operated selector mechanism (phonetic spelling of POSM)

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH