Dictionary.com

oasis

[ oh-ey-sis ]
/ oʊˈeɪ sɪs /
Save This Word!

noun, plural o·a·ses [oh-ey-seez]. /oʊˈeɪ siz/.

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

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THE MANY TYPES OF NOUNS

They're everywhere you turn, but can you identify the 10 types of nouns easily? This quiz will test your mettle against singular, plural, concrete, abstract, common, proper, collective, compound, countable, and uncountable nouns!
Question 1 of 7
Shoelaces, rainbow, toothpaste, and haircuts are all what type of noun?

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Origin of oasis

1605–15; <Late Latin <Greek óasis (Herodotus) <Egyptian wḥʾt oasis, oasis region

OTHER WORDS FROM oasis

o·a·sit·ic [oh-uh-sit-ik], /ˌoʊ əˈsɪt ɪk/, o·a·sal, o·a·se·an [oh-ey-see-uhn], /oʊˈeɪ si ən/, adjective

Words nearby oasis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for oasis

British Dictionary definitions for oasis (1 of 2)

oasis
/ (əʊˈeɪsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-siːz)

a fertile patch in a desert occurring where the water table approaches or reaches the ground surface
a place of peace, safety, or happiness in the midst of trouble or difficulty

Word Origin for oasis

C17: via Latin from Greek, probably of Egyptian origin

British Dictionary definitions for oasis (2 of 2)

Oasis
/ (əʊˈeɪsɪs) /

noun

trademark a block of light porous material, used as a base for flower arrangements
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for oasis

oasis
[ ō-āsĭs ]

Plural oases (ō-āsēz)

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK