Oyster - Definitions from Dictionary.com

9 results for: Oyster

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

oys·ter

Audio Help [oi-ster] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	any of several edible, marine, bivalve mollusks of the family Ostreidae, having an irregularly shaped shell, occurring on the bottom or adhering to rocks or other objects in shallow water.

2.	the oyster-shaped bit of dark meat in the front hollow of the side bone of a fowl.

3.	Slang. a closemouthed or uncommunicative person, esp. one who keeps secrets well.

4.	something from which a person may extract or derive advantage: The world is my oyster.

5.	oyster white.

–verb (used without object)

6.	to dredge for or otherwise take oysters.

[Origin: 1325–75; ME oistre < MF < L ostrea < Gk óstreon; see ostracize

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Oysters on the Half Shell Absolutely pure and fresh oysters. Fedex same day from Oysterville WA. www.willapa-oysters.com	Sponsored Links

Oyster 24 Hr. Delivery From World Famous Pike Place Market In Seattle! www.FreshSeafood.com

Order Fresh Live Oysters Delicious Atlantic Blue Points First quality from Lobster Trap Co. www.lobsters-online.com

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Oyster

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

oys·ter Audio Help (oi'stər) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. Any of several edible bivalve mollusks of the family Ostreidae, especially of the genera Crassostrea and Ostrea, that live chiefly in shallow marine waters and have a rough, irregularly shaped shell.
2. Any of various similar or related bivalve mollusks, such as the pearl oyster.
3. A special delicacy.
4. Something from which benefits may be extracted.
An edible bit of muscle found in the hollow of the pelvic bone of a fowl.
1. A special delicacy.
2. Something from which benefits may be extracted.
Slang A close-mouthed person.

intr.v. oys·tered, oys·ter·ing, oys·ters
To gather, dredge for, or raise oysters.

[Middle English oistre, from Old French, from Latin ostreum, ostrea, from Greek ostreon; see ost- in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
oyster

1357, from O.Fr. oistre (Fr. huître), from L. ostrea, pl. or fem. of ostreum "oyster," from Gk. ostreon, from PIE *ost- "bone" (see osseous). Related to Gk. ostrakon "hard shell" and to osteon "bone."

"Why then the world's mine Oyster, which I, with sword will open." [Shakespeare, "The Merry Wives of Windsor," II.ii.2]

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

oyster
noun
1.	marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the sea bed mostly in coastal waters
2.	edible body of any of numerous oysters [syn: huitre]
3.	a small muscle on each side of the back of a fowl
verb
1.	gather oysters, dig oysters

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
oyster [ˈoistə] noun

a type of shellfish eaten as food, and from which pearls are got

Arabic:	مَحارَه
Chinese (Simplified):	牡蛎，蚝
Chinese (Traditional):	牡蠣，蚝
Czech:	ústřice
Danish:	østers
Dutch:	oester
Estonian:	auster
Finnish:	osteri
French:	huître
German:	die Auster
Greek:	στρείδι
Hungarian:	osztriga
Icelandic:	ostra
Indonesian:	tiram
Italian:	ostrica

Japanese:	かき
Korean:	굴
Latvian:	austere
Lithuanian:	austrė
Norwegian:	østers
Polish:	ostryga
Portuguese (Brazil):	ostra
Portuguese (Portugal):	ostra
Romanian:	stridie
Russian:	устрица
Slovak:	ustrica
Slovenian:	ostriga
Spanish:	ostra
Swedish:	ostron
Turkish:	istridye

See also: oyster bed

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Oyster Bay, NY (CDP, FIPS 55992) Location: 40.86860 N, 73.53309 W
Population (1990): 6687 (2816 housing units)
Area: 3.2 sq km (land), 1.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 11771

Oyster Creek, TX (village, FIPS 54528) Location: 28.99745 N, 95.33053 W
Population (1990): 912 (430 housing units)
Area: 4.0 sq km (land), 0.3 sq km (water)

Oyster Bay Cove, NY (village, FIPS 56011) Location: 40.85920 N, 73.50439 W
Population (1990): 2109 (699 housing units)
Area: 10.9 sq km (land), 0.2 sq km (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Oyster

Os"se*ous\, a. [L. osseus, from os, ossis bone; akin to Gr. ?, Skr. asthi. Cf. Oyster.] Composed of bone; resembling bone; capable of forming bone; bony; ossific.

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