Where does “possumlike” come from?
possumlike (English) comes from English like, from Dutch luik, from Middle Dutch luke, from Dutch luiken, from Middle Dutch luken, from Old Dutch lūcan, from Proto-West Germanic lūkan, from Proto-Germanic lūkaną — to break, tear; to break, shatter.
possumlike (English): Resembling a possum or some aspect of it
Definitions
- Resembling a possum or some aspect of it
Ancestry of “possumlike”, step by step
possumlike traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English like
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | like | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;... |
| 2 | Dutch | luik | hatch; shutter; panel, as in a triptych |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | luke | — |
| 4 | Dutch | luiken | to close, to shut |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | luken | to close, to shut; to close, to become closed |
| 6 | Old Dutch | lūcan | to close, shut |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | lūkan | to close, to shut |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |
via English possum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | possum | An opossum, a marsupial of the family Didelphidae... |
| 2 | English | opossum | Any American marsupial of the family Didelphidae.... |
| 3 | Powhatan | aposoum | white animal |
| 4 | Proto-Algonquian | *wa·p-aʔθemwa | — |