possum
ポッサム
解説 Definition
possum は、主にアメリカ大陸などにいる小型から中型の有袋類、または地域によっては似た有袋類を指す語です。日本語の「ポッサム」は動物名として使われますが、英語では北米の opossum をくだけて possum と呼ぶことがあります。
A small or medium-sized marsupial; in North American usage, the word is commonly an informal shortened form of opossum. In Australia and nearby regions, possum is also used for several different, though somewhat similar, tree-dwelling marsupials.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
北米では opossum の語頭の o が省かれた口語形として possum が広く使われます。a possum under the porch や play possum「死んだふりをする」が典型表現です。一方、オーストラリアなどの possum は別系統の有袋類も指すため、地域による対象の違いも一緒に覚えましょう。
In North American English, possum is the everyday shortened form of opossum: the initial o is simply omitted. Learn it in a typical nighttime scene, such as “a possum crossed the road” or “a possum hid under the porch.” The expression “play possum” means to pretend to be dead or, figuratively, to avoid attention. Regional meaning matters: Australian possums are marsupials too, but they belong to different groups from the North American opossum. This distinction helps you interpret the animal intended by the location.
例文
A possum crossed the road at night.
夜にポッサムが道路を横切りました。
We saw a possum near the garden fence.
庭の柵の近くでポッサムを見かけました。
The possum stayed quiet under the porch.
そのポッサムは玄関ポーチの下でじっとしていました。
possum の類義語・関連語
類義語
紛らわしい語
possum の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ポワタン語（アルゴンキン語族）「apasum（白い動物）」由来の借用語。接辞分解はなく、原形の「opossum」が口語で短縮されて定着した。関連語「opossum」と比較すれば、現地の呼び名がそのまま英語化した過程が明確に理解できる。
Possum developed as a shortened, informal form of opossum. Opossum was borrowed into English from a Powhatan word, recorded in forms such as aposoum and commonly interpreted as meaning “white animal.” Powhatan belongs to the Algonquian language family. The shortened spelling lost the unstressed initial vowel and became established in speech; it later also became the standard name for several Australasian marsupials.
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