oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

often attributive

1

a

: any of various marine bivalve mollusks (family Ostreidae) that have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle and include commercially important shellfish

b

: any of various mollusks resembling or related to the oysters

2

: something that is or can be readily made to serve one's personal ends

the world was her oyster

3

: a small mass of muscle contained in a concavity of the pelvic bone on each side of the back of a fowl

4

: an extremely taciturn person

5

: a grayish-white color

Examples of oyster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Food: From hot dogs served with oysters and doughnuts to a hot dog joint inside a Walmart, the iconic, handheld food is having a moment in Louisville. —Stephanie Stremplewski, The Courier-Journal, 28 Dec. 2024

Metro Phoenix restaurants have created options from over-the-top menus of caviar, oysters and wagyu beef topped with gold leaf to more down-to-earth a la carte options. —Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 26 Dec. 2024

There, on the ferry, was a labourer eating oysters using a jack knife taken from his pocket, tossing shell after shell overboard. —Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings about oysters and Manila clams that might be contaminated with norovirus. —Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English oistre, borrowed from Anglo-French oistre, ostre, going back to Latin ostrea, ostreum "bivalve mollusk, oyster," borrowed from Greek óstreion, óstreon, of uncertain origin

Note: Greek óstreion has traditionally been taken to be a derivative, with a suffix -ei-, of a stem going back to Indo-European *h₃esth₁-r-, from the base *h₃esth₁- "bone." See note at ostracon.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing oyster

• European flat oyster
• European oyster
• Olympia oyster
• oyster bed
• oyster crab
• oyster cracker
• oyster drill
• oyster mushroom
• oyster plant
• seed oyster
• the world is someone's oyster
• vegetable oyster

Kids Definition

oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

: any of various marine mollusks that include important edible shellfish and have a rough uneven shell made up of two hinged parts and closed by a single muscle