oyster
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oyster¹
- /ˈɔɪ.stə/ UK
- /ˈɔɪ.stɚ/ US
- /ˈɔɪ.st͡ʃɚ/ Southern US, regional
Rhymes with -ɔɪstə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English oystre, from Old English ostre, reinforced or superseded by Anglo-Norman oistre, which is from Old French oistre, uistre (compare modern French huître); both lines (Old English and Old French) from Latin ostrea, from Ancient Greek ὄστρεον (óstreon). Doublet of ostro (“a purple dye”).
noun oysters · erster · oister · oystre
- Any of certain marine bivalve mollusks, especially those of the family Ostreidae (the true oysters), usually found adhering to rocks or other fixed objects in shallow water along the seacoasts, or in brackish water in the mouth of rivers. Piſt. Why then the world's mine Oyſter, which I, with ſword will open.
- The delicate oyster-shaped morsel of dark meat contained in a small cavity of the bone on each side of the lower part of the back of a fowl. Cut remaining skin on back. Remove the oyster (choice dark meat in spoon-shaped bone on back) with the leg.
- Any of the fungi in the genera Pleurotus, Hohenbuehelia, or other related genera.
- A pale beige color tinted with grey or pink, like that of an oyster.
- A person who keeps secrets. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
- Something at one's disposal. He asked a major Chicago retailer with a large store in the heart of the city about the socioeconomic character of his customers. The man replied proudly that the entire range of economic classes was his oyster.
- A shoplifter.
- Ellipsis of Oyster card
adjective more oyster · most oyster · erster · oister · oystre
- Of a pale beige colour tinted with grey or pink, like that of an oyster.
verb oysters · oystering · oystered · erster · oister
- To fish for oysters. Most Fishneck watermen oystered in winter, using the same small skiffs from which they potted crabs in summer. Sometimes two men oystered from the same boat or took along a son or younger brother to cull oysters (separate those of legal size from undersized ones and shell).
Oyster²
Where it comes from
Uncertain. Perhaps a nickname for someone who cultivated or sold oysters.
proper noun Oysters
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: huitre, mollusk, eastern, columbia, orleans, bivalve, shellfish, clam, mussel, scallop, cockle, quahog, littleneck, cherrystone, geoduck, ark shell
Translations
Every language
noun mollusk — see also clam, mollusc, mussel
| Español | ostra, ostrón, ostión, ostia (disused) |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 굴 gul |
| 日本語 | 牡蠣 kaki, カキ kaki, 真珠貝 shinjugai |
| 中文 | 牡蠣 /牡蛎 mǔlì, 海蠣子 /海蛎子 hǎilìzi, 蠔子 /蚝子 háozi, 蠔 /蚝 háo |
| हिन्दी | सीप sīp, शुक्ति śukti |
| Português | ostra |
| Français | huître, huitre |
| Deutsch | Auster |
| Italiano | ostrica |
| Ελληνικά | στρείδι streídi |
| Română | stridie |
| Русский | у́стрица ústrica |
| Tiếng Việt | hàu |
| العربية | مَحَار maḥār |
| עברית | צִדפָּה |
noun food from mollusc
| Español | ostra |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 굴 gul |
| 日本語 | 牡蠣 kaki, カキ kaki |
| 中文 | 牡蠣 /牡蛎 mǔlì |
| Português | marisco |
| Français | huître |
| Deutsch | Auster |
| Italiano | ostrica |
| Ελληνικά | στρείδι streídi |
| Română | stridie |
| Русский | у́стрица ústrica |
| Tiếng Việt | hàu, sò |
| العربية | مَحَار maḥār |
noun meat from poultry
| Français | sot-l’y-laisse |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Pfaffenschnittchen, Pfaffenstückchen |
noun colour
| Español | ostra |
|---|
noun person who keeps secrets
| Español | tumba |
|---|---|
| Русский | за́мкнутый челове́к zámknutyj čelovék |
Talk about this word "oyster." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/oyster. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. oyster. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/oyster "oyster." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/oyster.Cite this
@misc{oyster_2026,
title = {oyster},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/oyster},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
