oyster

[ oi-ster ]

/ ˈɔɪ stər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oyster ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of several edible, marine, bivalve mollusks of the family Ostreidae, having an irregularly shaped shell, occurring on the bottom or adhering to rocks or other objects in shallow water.

the oyster-shaped bit of dark meat in the front hollow of the side bone of a fowl.

Slang. a closemouthed or uncommunicative person, especially one who keeps secrets well.

something from which a person may extract or derive advantage: The world is my oyster.

oyster white.

verb (used without object)

to dredge for or otherwise take oysters.

Nearby words

oyelet, oyer, oyer and terminer, oyez, oyo, oyster, oyster bay, oyster bed, oyster cap, oyster crab, oyster cracker

Origin of oyster

1325–75; Middle English oistre < Middle French < Latin ostrea < Greek óstreon; see ostracize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for oyster

If you want to be a human being, and a popular human being, then you have to stop being an oyster and come out of your shell.
How to Be Popular, ’50s Style: ‘Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek’|Maya Van Wagenen|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What a sauce that is,” he enthused, “which dresses an oyster I suck from the mouth of the woman I love!
Seduce Like a Writer: How 7 Famous Scribes Wooed|Joni Rendon, Shannon McKenna Schmidt|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I added a few impossible positions, just to have a little fun, like the Swan Flying over the Oyster Shell.
The Business of Sex: Amy Tan’s ‘The Valley of Amazement’ on Shanghai Courtesans|Jane Ciabattari|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A television series, Mama, was broadcast from a studio above The Oyster Bar beginning in 1949.
Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years, 100 Facts|Sarah Begley|February 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Other, greener options, like wetland restoration or oyster reefs, could also help slow waves before they reach the city.
Hurricane Sandy’s Lesson for Flood-Proofing a Subway|Josh Dzieza|November 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The fertilized egg, when laid, floats off and becomes attached to the shell of some oyster on a nearby rock.
Self Knowledge and Guide to Sex Instruction|T. W. Shannon
He has the constitution of a rhinoceros, the digestion of an ostrich, and the concentration of an oyster.
Little Dorrit|Charles Dickens
It is perhaps, he adds, what the oyster is doing in its shell.
Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind (Vol. 1 of 3)|Thomas Brown
It had all been definitely settled and tidied up in that wood on the way from the oyster park.
The Disturbing Charm|Berta Ruck
We had oyster shells for spoons and de slaves comes in from de fields and dey hands is all dirty, and dey is hungry.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves|Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for oyster

oyster

/ (ˈɔɪstə) /

noun

any edible marine bivalve mollusc of the genus Ostrea, having a rough irregularly shaped shell and occurring on the sea bed, mostly in coastal waters
(as modifier)oyster farm; oyster knife

any of various similar and related molluscs, such as the pearl oyster and the saddle oyster (Anomia ephippium)

the oyster-shaped piece of dark meat in the hollow of the pelvic bone of a fowl

something from which advantage, delight, profit, etc, may be derivedthe world is his oyster

informal a very uncommunicative person

verb

(intr) to dredge for, gather, or raise oysters

Word Origin for oyster

C14 oistre, from Old French uistre, from Latin ostrea, from Greek ostreon; related to Greek osteon bone, ostrakon shell

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

Idioms and Phrases with oyster

oyster

see world is one's oyster.