Main Entry:: oys·ter
Pronunciation:: \ˈȯis-tər\
Function:: noun
Usage:: often attributive
Etymology:: Middle English oistre, from Anglo-French, from Latin ostrea, from Greek ostreon; akin to Greek ostrakon shell, osteon bone — more at osseous
Date:: 13th century

1 a: any of various marine bivalve mollusks (family Ostreidae) that have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle and include commercially important shellfish b: any of various mollusks resembling or related to the oysters2: something that is or can be readily made to serve one's personal ends <the world was her oyster>3: a small mass of muscle contained in a concavity of the pelvic bone on each side of the back of a fowl4: an extremely taciturn person5: a grayish-white color

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