oyster

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a marine bivalve mollusk with a rough, irregular shell

   The oyster closes its shell tightly when disturbed.

2. 2
   noun

   the soft edible flesh of this mollusk

   She ordered a plate of oysters with lemon.

3. 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. 4
   verb

   to gather or fish for oysters

   Local crews oyster in the bay during the permitted season.

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.

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