crab-eating opossum
- noun
- /ˈkræbˌiːtɪŋ əˈpɒsəm/
- US
:
zarigüeya cangrejera
- Researchers observed a crab-eating opossum foraging for crabs along the riverbank.
Examples
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Unlike other opossums, the crab-eating opossum often incorporates aquatic animals into its diet.
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The crab-eating opossum is commonly found near streams and wetlands in South America.
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Look at the crab-eating opossum!
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The crab-eating opossum is a nocturnal animal.
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Researchers observed a crab-eating opossum foraging for crabs along the riverbank.
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The crab-eating opossum is commonly found near streams and wetlands in South America.
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Unlike other opossums, the crab-eating opossum often incorporates aquatic animals into its diet.
Surface Forms
Morphology
crab-eating + opossum
The compound is compositional: 'crab-eating' straightforwardly means 'eats crabs' and 'opossum' names the animal, so the whole phrase denotes an opossum that eats crabs. Hyphenated noun modifiers like this follow normal English compounding patterns and are cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Crab-eating opossum comes from a simple picture: an opossum that looks for crab near rivers and streams and 'eats crabs'. So the name tells you what the animal often eats and where you might find it.
