pearl oyster

noun

any of several marine bivalve mollusks of the family Pteriidae, some of which form pearls of great value, inhabiting waters of eastern Asia and off the coasts of Panama and Baja California.

Origin of pearl oyster

First recorded in 1685–95

Words Nearby pearl oyster

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pearl oyster in a sentence

For years, McFarland had been the sous chef at the popular pearl oyster Bar in Greenwich Village.
In ‘The Knockoff Economy,’ The Upside to Ripping Off Others’ Ideas | Kal Raustiala, Christopher Sprigman | September 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
In short, this was not the pearl-oyster bed which had brought the two friends the greater part of the way around the globe.
Adrift on the Pacific | Edward S. Ellis
Max now showed him the supposed pearl-oyster, and challenged him to make an attempt to bring it up.
The Island Home | Richard Archer
It proved to be a pearl-oyster, as Max had supposed, and on being opened was found to contain eleven seed-pearls.
The Island Home | Richard Archer
Their hooks are made of the mother-of-pearl oyster, which they rub on a stone until it assumes the shape they want.
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 1 | David Collins

It is not likely, however, that the manta devours anything larger than the pearl-oyster itself.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2) | David Starr Jordan

British Dictionary definitions for pearl oyster

pearl oyster

noun

any of various tropical marine bivalves of the genus Pinctada and related genera: a major source of pearls

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

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