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opossum, n.
Pronunciation:  Brit. /əˈpɒsəm/ , U.S. /(ə)ˈpɑs(ə)m/

Etymology:  < Virginia Algonquian opassom < op- white + -assom dog, doglike animal. Compare French †opassum (1640, probably < English), opossum (1704). Compare possum n.1

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opossum (n.)

1610, from Powhatan (Algonquian) opassum, "equivalent to a proto-Algonquian term meaning 'white dog'" [Bright].

possum (n.)

1610s, shortened form of opossum. Phrase play possum is first recorded 1822.

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o·pos·sum

ETYMOLOGY: Virginia Algonquian

WORD HISTORY:

The word opossum takes us back to the earliest days of the American colonies. The settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, was founded in 1607 by the London Company, chartered for the planting of colonies. Even though the first years were difficult, promotional literature was glowing. In one such piece, A True Declaration of the Estate of the Colonie in Virginia, published in 1610, we find this passage: "There are ... Apossouns, in shape like to pigges." This is the first recorded use of opossum, although in a spelling that differs from the one later settled on to reproduce the sound of the Virginia Algonquian word from which our word came. The word opossum and its shortened form possum, first recorded in 1613 in more promotional literature, remind us of a time when the New World was still very new, settlers were few, and the inhabitants for whom the New World was not new were plentiful.

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NOUN:
Chiefly Southern U.S.
An opossum.
ETYMOLOGY: Short for opossum

Regional Note:

Since English is a language that stresses some syllables and not others, weakly stressed syllables, especially those preceding strong stresses, are dropped at times. This process, called aphesis when it occurs at the beginning of a word, is more common in regional American dialects than in the more conservative Standard English, which tends to retain in pronunciation anything reflected in spelling. Although many American dialects feature aphesis, it is most famous in the dialects of the South, where it yields pronunciations such as count of for (on) account of, tater for potato, possum for opossum, and skeeter for mosquito.

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I thought you might be interested in this little tidbit I found:

“These early explorers and naturalists were even more at a loss regarding the opossum's reproductive nature. The penis of the male opossum is bifurcated or forked. This, combined with the female opossum's prenatal habit of licking her belly, nipples and pouch area, led to the folktale that in reproducing, the male and female have sex through the female's nose and she then blows the young into her pouch. Later, it was discovered that the females have a bifurcated reproductive track and all the preening is done to create a moist warm pathway for the newborns to follow.”

Puts a new meaning in “blow job”, doesn’t it?

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What’s worse is, this same afternoon, as I was sitting in a class after a lecture, visiting with some friends, one of the women said she told her husband she wanted a “nose job.” I had just taken a sip of my Starbucks… I doubt the stains will ever come out. I am so glad I did not have to explain my reaction. I was totally speechless.
I am so glad I didn’t spray anyone else.