oasis

[oh-ey-sis]

noun

plural

oases 

1. a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well.

2. something serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult, etc..

   The library was an oasis of calm in the hectic city.

   Synonyms: shelter, retreat, harbor, haven

Oasis

¹

/ əʊˈeɪsɪs /

noun

1. a block of light porous material, used as a base for flower arrangements

oasis

²

/ əʊˈeɪsɪs /

noun

1. a fertile patch in a desert occurring where the water table approaches or reaches the ground surface

2. a place of peace, safety, or happiness in the midst of trouble or difficulty

oasis

plural

oases 

1. A small area in a desert that has a supply of water and is able to support vegetation. An oasis forms when groundwater lies close enough to the surface to form a spring or to be reached by wells.

Other Word Forms

• oasitic adjective
• oasal adjective
• oasean adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oasis¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin, from Greek óasis, from Egyptian wḥʾt “oasis region”

Word History and Origins

Origin of oasis¹

C17: via Latin from Greek, probably of Egyptian origin

Example Sentences

For years, the famed park has served as an urban oasis for thousands of Westlake residents hemmed in by concrete and asphalt.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A short walk away is Legacy Park, an oasis of coastal prairies, bluffs and native woodlands.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The building was praised for its "generous" homes, terracotta-paved hallways with benches and plants, and a water feature that gives the building the "sense of a woodland oasis".

Read more on BBC

Altadena used to be an oasis of affordability, but over the past two decades home values have surged, pricing out many residents.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yet Palisadeans themselves seem divided on the library, with some decrying the proposed use of the rec center’s grassy expanse, a rare green oasis in the charred neighborhood.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• haven 
• sanctuary 

When To Use

Plural word for oasis

The plural form of oasis is oases, pronounced [ oh-ey-seez ]. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -is are also formed in this way, including hypothesis/hypotheses, crisis/crises, and axis/axes. A similar change is made when pluralizing appendix as appendices. Irregular plurals that are formed like oases derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin and Greek.