oat

[oht]

noun

1. a cereal grass, Avena sativa, cultivated for its edible seed.

2. (used with a singular or plural verb),  Usually oats. the seed of this plant, used as a food for humans and animals.

3. any of several plants of the same genus, as the wild oat.

4. Archaic.,  a musical pipe made of an oat straw.

oat

/ əʊt /

noun

1. an erect annual grass, Avena sativa, grown in temperate regions for its edible seed

2. (usually plural) the seeds or fruits of this grass

3. any of various other grasses of the genus Avena, such as the wild oat

4. poetic,  a flute made from an oat straw

5. informal

   1. to feel exuberant

   2. to feel self-important

6. slang,  to have sexual intercourse

7. to indulge in adventure or promiscuity during youth

Other Word Forms

• oatlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oat¹

before 900; Middle English ote, Old English āte

Word History and Origins

Origin of oat¹

Old English āte, of obscure origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. sow one's wild oats. wild oat.

2. feel one's oats,

   1. to feel frisky or lively.

   2. to be aware of and use one's importance or power.

Example Sentences

Oat milk, for instance, is called an oat drink on European shelves.

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Overnight oats and cold instant coffee got me going.

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Lewis Clare, who produces organic oats and pigs on his 160-acre farm near Manchester, said: "The weather is going to be driving costs up."

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They can then implement targeted baiting programs using oats treated with diphacinone — a slow-acting poison — and keep the bait stations full for about four weeks.

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Coffee and a dog run in the Hollywood Hills I bounce right out of bed, and I have some coffee that I make at home, Intelligentsia Coffee with oat milk.

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