- any of various Australasian arboreal marsupials, such as Trichosurus vulpecula (brush-tailed phalanger), having dense fur and a long tail: family PhalangeridaeAlso called (Austral and NZ): possum
See also flying phalanger
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pha•lan•ger
(fə lan′jər),USA pronunciation n.
- Mammalsany of numerous arboreal marsupials of the family Phalangeridae, of Australia, having foxlike ears and a long, bushy tail.
- Greek phalang-, stem of phálanx phalanx + Neo-Latin -er, of unclear origin, originally; the name refers to the syndactylous 2d and 3d digits of the hind feet
- Neo-Latin (1780)
- French (Buffon) or
- 1765–75
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
phalanger /fəˈlændʒə/ n
'phalanger' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
cuscus
- flying phalanger
- glider
- honey mouse
- opossum
- petaurist
- possum
- sugar glider
- tuan
- ringtail