Dictionary.com
definitions

oystering

[oi-ster-ing]
|

noun

veneering of furniture with matched flitches having a figure of concentric rings.
flitches used on an oystered piece.

RELATED CONTENT

more cowbell
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Why Does A Cow Become Beef?
Have you ever stopped to wonder why we eat pork and beef, but not pig or cow? Menus don’t advertise sheep or deer, but mutton and venison. And, we nonchalantly nosh on veal without the linguistic reminder that we’re actually eating meat from a baby calf. When it comes to designating meat terminology, the English language has a few ways of distinguishing between the live …
READ MORE

Origin of oystering

First recorded in 1910–15; oyster + -ing1

oyster

[oi-ster]

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

Historical Examples of oystering

British Dictionary definitions for oystering

oyster

noun

  1. 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
  2. (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
Word Origin and History for oystering

oyster

n.

early 14c., from Old French oistre (Modern French huître), from Latin ostrea, plural or fem. of ostreum "oyster," from Greek ostreon, from PIE *ost- "bone" (see osseous). Related to Greek ostrakon "hard shell" and to osteon "bone."

Why then the world's mine Oyster, which I, with sword will open. [Shakespeare, "The Merry Wives of Windsor," II.ii.2]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with oystering

oyster

see world is one's oyster.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.