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Oyster
Definitions
- 1 Of a pale beige colour tinted with grey or pink, like that of an oyster.
- 1 A surname.
- 1 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."
- 2 marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the sea bed mostly in coastal waters wordnet
- 3 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."
- 4 a small muscle on each side of the back of a fowl wordnet
- 5 A pale beige color tinted with grey or pink, like that of an oyster.
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- 6 edible body of any of numerous oysters wordnet
- 7 A person who keeps secrets. colloquial
"Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster."
- 8 Something at one's disposal. figuratively
"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."
- 9 A shoplifter. UK, slang
- 10 Ellipsis of Oyster card. UK, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, slang
- 1 To fish for oysters. intransitive
"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)."
- 2 gather oysters, dig oysters wordnet
Etymology
From Middle English oystre, from Old English ostre, reinforced or superseded by Anglo-Norman oistre, which is from Old French oistre, uistre (compare modern French huître); both lines (Old English and Old French) from Latin ostrea, from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”).
From Middle English oystre, from Old English ostre, reinforced or superseded by Anglo-Norman oistre, which is from Old French oistre, uistre (compare modern French huître); both lines (Old English and Old French) from Latin ostrea, from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”).
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”).
Uncertain. Perhaps a nickname for someone who cultivated or sold oysters.
See also for "oyster"
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