oyster


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Related to oyster: oyster stew, Oyster pearl

oys·ter

 (oi′stər)
n.
1.
a. Any of several edible bivalve mollusks of the family Ostreidae, having a rough, irregularly shaped shell attached to the substrate in shallow marine waters. Oysters are widely cultivated for food.
b. Any of various similar or related bivalve mollusks, such as the pearl oyster.
2. An edible bit of muscle found in the hollow of the pelvic bone of a fowl.
3.
a. A special delicacy.
b. Something from which benefits may be extracted.
4. 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.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

oyster

(ˈɔɪstə)
n
1. (Animals)
a. any edible marine bivalve mollusc of the genus Ostrea, having a rough irregularly shaped shell and occurring on the sea bed, mostly in coastal waters
b. (as modifier): oyster farm; oyster knife.
2. (Animals) any of various similar and related molluscs, such as the pearl oyster and the saddle oyster (Anomia ephippium)
3. (Cookery) the oyster-shaped piece of dark meat in the hollow of the pelvic bone of a fowl
4. something from which advantage, delight, profit, etc, may be derived: the world is his oyster.
5. informal a very uncommunicative person
vb
(intr) to dredge for, gather, or raise oysters
[C14 oistre, from Old French uistre, from Latin ostrea, from Greek ostreon; related to Greek osteon bone, ostrakon shell]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

oys•ter

(ˈɔɪ stər)
n.
1. any of several edible, marine, bivalve mollusks of the family Ostreidae, having an irregularly shaped shell.
2. the oyster-shaped bit of dark meat in the front hollow of the pelvic bone of a fowl.
3. Informal. a closemouthed or uncommunicative person.
4. something from which one may extract or derive advantage: The world is my oyster.
v.i.
5. to dredge for or otherwise take oysters.
[1325–75; Middle English oistre < Old French (French huître) < Latin ostrea < Greek óstreon, akin to óstrakon (see ostracize)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

oys·ter

(oi′stər)
Any of several mollusks of shallow waters, having a rough, irregularly shaped, double-hinged shell. Many kinds of oysters are used as food, and some kinds produce pearls inside their shells.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

oyster

  • oysterage - An oyster bed.
  • ostracine - The adjective form of oyster.
  • oyster - From the Greek word ostreon, etymologically an allusion to its shell, from the Indo-European base ost-, "bone."
  • fornix - The upper shell of an oyster.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

oyster


Past participle: oystered
Gerund: oystering

Imperative
oyster
oyster
Present
I oyster
you oyster
he/she/it oysters
we oyster
you oyster
they oyster
Preterite
I oystered
you oystered
he/she/it oystered
we oystered
you oystered
they oystered
Present Continuous
I am oystering
you are oystering
he/she/it is oystering
we are oystering
you are oystering
they are oystering
Present Perfect
I have oystered
you have oystered
he/she/it has oystered
we have oystered
you have oystered
they have oystered
Past Continuous
I was oystering
you were oystering
he/she/it was oystering
we were oystering
you were oystering
they were oystering
Past Perfect
I had oystered
you had oystered
he/she/it had oystered
we had oystered
you had oystered
they had oystered
Future
I will oyster
you will oyster
he/she/it will oyster
we will oyster
you will oyster
they will oyster
Future Perfect
I will have oystered
you will have oystered
he/she/it will have oystered
we will have oystered
you will have oystered
they will have oystered
Future Continuous
I will be oystering
you will be oystering
he/she/it will be oystering
we will be oystering
you will be oystering
they will be oystering
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been oystering
you have been oystering
he/she/it has been oystering
we have been oystering
you have been oystering
they have been oystering
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been oystering
you will have been oystering
he/she/it will have been oystering
we will have been oystering
you will have been oystering
they will have been oystering
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been oystering
you had been oystering
he/she/it had been oystering
we had been oystering
you had been oystering
they had been oystering
Conditional
I would oyster
you would oyster
he/she/it would oyster
we would oyster
you would oyster
they would oyster
Past Conditional
I would have oystered
you would have oystered
he/she/it would have oystered
we would have oystered
you would have oystered
they would have oystered
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.oyster - marine mollusks having a rough irregular shelloyster - marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the sea bed mostly in coastal waters
bivalve, lamellibranch, pelecypod - marine or freshwater mollusks having a soft body with platelike gills enclosed within two shells hinged together
seed oyster - a young oyster especially of a size for transplantation
blue point, bluepoint - small edible oyster typically from the southern shore of Long Island
Japanese oyster, Ostrea gigas - a large oyster native to Japan and introduced along the Pacific coast of the United States; a candidate for introduction in Chesapeake Bay
Virginia oyster - common edible oyster of Atlantic coast of North America
pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera - tropical marine bivalve found chiefly off eastern Asia and Pacific coast of North America and Central America; a major source of pearls
Anomia ephippium, saddle oyster - thin-shelled bivalve having the right valve deeply notched
capiz, Placuna placenta, window oyster, windowpane oyster - marine bivalve common in Philippine coastal waters characterized by a large thin flat translucent shell
huitre, oyster - edible body of any of numerous oysters
2.oyster - edible body of any of numerous oysters
oyster - marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the sea bed mostly in coastal waters
shellfish - meat of edible aquatic invertebrate with a shell (especially a mollusk or crustacean)
oysters Rockefeller - oysters spread with butter and spinach and seasonings and baked on the half shell
blue point, bluepoint - oysters originally from Long Island Sound but now from anywhere along the northeastern seacoast; usually eaten raw
3.oyster - a small muscle on each side of the back of a fowl
helping, serving, portion - an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal; "the helpings were all small"; "his portion was larger than hers"; "there's enough for two servings each"
bird, fowl - the flesh of a bird or fowl (wild or domestic) used as food
Verb1.oyster - gather oysters, dig oysters
gather, pull together, collect, garner - assemble or get together; "gather some stones"; "pull your thoughts together"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
صَدَفَةٌمَحارَه
ústřice
østers
AusterPfaffenschnittchen
osteri
huîtresot-l’y-laissehuitriersolilessehuitre
kamenica
osztriga
tiram
ostra
牡蠣
austrėaustrių veisykla
austere
ustrica
ostriga
ostron
หอยนางรม
istiridyeistridye
con hàuhàu

oyster

[ˈɔɪstəʳ]
A. Nostra f
see also world A1
B. CPD oyster farm Ncriadero m de ostras
oyster shell Nconcha f de ostra
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

oyster

[ˈɔɪstər] nhuître f
the world is your oyster (fig)le monde est à vousoyster bed nbanc m d'huîtresoyster cracker n (US)petit biscuit m saléoyster farming nostréiculture foyster shell ncoquille f d'huître
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

oyster

nAuster f; the world’s his oysterdie Welt steht ihm offen; to shut up or clam up like an oysterkein Wort mehr sagen

oyster

:
oyster bank, oyster bed
nAusternbank f
oyster-breeding
nAusternzucht f
oystercatcher
n (Orn) → Austernfischer m
oyster cracker
n (US) → Kräcker m
oyster farm
nAusternpark m
oyster mushroom
nAusternpilz m
oyster shell
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

oyster

[ˈɔɪstəʳ] nostrica
the world is your oyster → il mondo è tuo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

oyster

(ˈoistə) noun
a type of shellfish eaten as food, and from which pearls are got.
oyster bed
a place in the sea where oysters breed or are bred.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

oyster

صَدَفَةٌ ústřice østers Auster στρείδι ostra osteri huître kamenica ostrica 牡蠣 oester østers ostryga ostra устрица ostron หอยนางรม istiridye con hàu
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

oyster

n. ostra, ostión.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
In one place, five hundred feet above the sea, the perpendicular bank on the upper side of the road was ten or fifteen feet high, and the cut exposed three veins of oyster shells, just as we have seen quartz veins exposed in the cutting of a road in Nevada or Montana.
Charley and I roamed the docks, wondering what we should do, and so came upon the oyster fleet lying at the Oakland City Wharf.
And the winds of adventure blew the oyster pirate sloops up and down San Francisco Bay, from raided oyster-beds and fights at night on shoal and flat, to markets in the morning against city wharves, where peddlers and saloon-keepers came down to buy.
"Are many pearls found in the same oyster?" asked Conseil.
Now for our little tableau!" Ida pushed the champagne bottles obtrusively forward, in the direction of the door, and scattered oyster shells over the cloth.
The gentleman who announced that the world was an oyster which he with his sword would open made a larger hit than he deserved.
A DOG, used to eating eggs, saw an Oyster and, opening his mouth to its widest extent, swallowed it down with the utmost relish, supposing it to be an egg.
We all know about the habits of the ant, we know all about the habits of the bee, but we know nothing at all about the habits of the oyster. It seems almost certain that we have been choosing the wrong time for studying the oyster.
So who may say that it is nice to eat snails and frogs' legs and oysters, but disgusting to feed upon grubs and beetles, or that a raw oyster, hoof, horns, and tail, is less revolting than the sweet, clean meat of a fresh-killed buck?
"O Oysters, come and walk with us!" The Walrus did beseech.
"Well, then, how if we were to begin with oysters, and so change the whole program?
All that day, though he waited for Mr Abel until evening, Kit kept clear of his mother's house, determined not to anticipate the pleasures of the morrow, but to let them come in their full rush of delight; for to-morrow was the great and long looked-for epoch in his life--to-morrow was the end of his first quarter--the day of receiving, for the first time, one fourth part of his annual income of Six Pounds in one vast sum of Thirty Shillings--to-morrow was to be a half-holiday devoted to a whirl of entertainments, and little Jacob was to know what oysters meant, and to see a play.