Where does “paihamu” come from?
paihamu (Maori) comes from English possum, from English opossum, from Powhatan aposoum, from Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔθemwa.
Ancestry of “paihamu”, step by step
| 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 | — |