oystering

[ oi-ster-ing ]

/ ˈɔɪ stər ɪŋ /

noun

veneering of furniture with matched flitches having a figure of concentric rings.

flitches used on an oystered piece.

Nearby words

oyster toadfish, oyster white, oystercatcher, oystered, oysterfish, oystering, oysterman, oysters rockefeller, oystershell scale, oysterwoman, oz

Origin of oystering

First recorded in 1910–15; oyster + -ing¹

Definition for oystering (2 of 2)

oyster

[ oi-ster ]

/ ˈɔɪ stər /

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.

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 oystering

Dredging is a much faster and less laborious method of oystering than tonging, and can be carried on over a much larger territory.
A Report upon the Mollusk Fisheries of Massachusetts|Commissioners on Fisheries and Game
In order to meet this demand he commonly resorted to oystering.
The Underground Railroad|William Still
It makes no difference to him at what hour he returns,—from oystering or from the cranberry-bog.
By The Sea|Heman White Chaplin
It was the most popular boat used in the colony for collecting corn from the Indians, fishing, oystering, and exploring.
Some Notes on Shipbuilding and Shipping in Colonial Virginia|Cerinda W. Evans

British Dictionary definitions for oystering

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 oystering

oyster

see world is one's oyster.