oyster

B2 Topic:Animals

US /ˈɔɪ.stɚ/ UK /ˈɔɪ.stə/ See IPA manual

Freq #12160

Meanings

1

noun
a marine bivalve mollusk with a rough, irregular shell

The oyster closes its shell tightly when disturbed.
2

noun
the soft edible flesh of this mollusk

She ordered a plate of oysters with lemon.
3

noun
a small tender piece of dark meat on either side of a cooked bird's backbone

The cook removed the oyster from the back of the roasted chicken.
4

verb
to gather or fish for oysters

Local crews oyster in the bay during the permitted season.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a marine bivalve mollusk... bivalve shellfish

2 noun · the soft edible flesh of... shellfish

4 verb · to gather or fish for oysters gather oysters

Word family

Forms oysters

Derived forms oysterboatoystercatcheroystereroysterfishoysterman

Related forms ostreiculturemolluskpearl shell

Common collocations

oyster shell Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English oystre, continuing Old English ostre and reinforced by Anglo-Norman and Old French oistre. These forms derive from Latin ostrea, from Ancient Greek ostreon ("oyster"). The poultry sense comes from the small shell-shaped muscle beside a bird's backbone.

Topics

Animals

External links

# oyster

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈɔɪ.stɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɔɪ.stə/
**Frequency rank:** 12160

## Meanings
1. a marine bivalve mollusk with a rough, irregular shell
2. the soft edible flesh of this mollusk
3. a small tender piece of dark meat on either side of a cooked bird's backbone
4. to gather or fish for oysters

## Examples
- The oyster closes its shell tightly when disturbed.
- She ordered a plate of oysters with lemon.
- The cook removed the oyster from the back of the roasted chicken.
- Local crews oyster in the bay during the permitted season.

## Synonyms
- bivalve
- shellfish

## Derived Forms
- oysterboat
- oystercatcher
- oysterer
- oysterfish
- oysterman

## Related Forms
- ostreiculture
- mollusk
- pearl
- shell

## Etymology
From Middle English oystre, continuing Old English ostre and reinforced by Anglo-Norman and Old French oistre. These forms derive from Latin ostrea, from Ancient Greek ostreon ("oyster"). The poultry sense comes from the small shell-shaped muscle beside a bird's backbone.

## Topics
- Animals

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