oat

noun, often attributive

\ ˈōt

Definition of oat

1a : any of several grasses (genus Avena) especially : a widely cultivated cereal grass (A. sativa)

b : a crop or plot of the oat also : the seed of an oat —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

2 archaic : a reed instrument made of an oat straw

feel one's oats

: to act in a newly self-confident and often self-important manner

Examples of oat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maintain the barest simmer while cooking the tapioca and oat milk to prevent pearls from instantly dissolving. — Eleanore Park, WSJ, "Recipes That Start With Seeds—From Sunflower to Poppy," 26 Mar. 2019 Try a lotion like Vaseline Intensive Care Essential Healing Lotion that contains oat extract to calm inflammation and protect the skin. — Marci Robin, Allure, "The Best Non-Steroid Topical Treatments for Psoriasis, According to Dermatologists," 10 Sep. 2018 Add soaked oats along with any residual liquid, plus salt and pepper to bowl meat mixture and mix with your hands until all ingredients are fully and evenly incorporated. — Priya Krishna, WSJ, "Meatloaf Transcendent," 6 Sep. 2018 Jennifer Garner’s Granola Bars Ingredients: 2 cups oats 1 cup unsweetened coconut ½ cup wheat germ ½ cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup flaxseed 2 tbsp. butter ½ cup honey ¼ cup brown sugar ½ tsp salt 1 tsp. vanilla Recipe: 1. — Madison Roberts, PEOPLE.com, "Jennifer Garner Whips Up Her 'Favorite' Granola Bars—and Gets a Sweet Birthday Message from Ina Garten," 17 Apr. 2018 What's more, oats are rich in phytochemicals, which are powerful antioxidant compounds that have been linked with cancer-fighting properties. 2. — Good Housekeeping, "4 Reasons Why Oatmeal Is the Ultimate Breakfast," 15 Oct. 2018 Instead of oats, this grain-free granola recipe uses a mix of unsweetened coconut flakes and raw nuts. — Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit, "This Tahini Granola Is Nutty, Cluster-y, and Totally Grain-Free," 9 Apr. 2018 Besides pumpkin puree, these homemade dog treats also pack additional gut-friendly fiber from oats and a dose of protein and drool-worthy flavor from peanut butter. — Stephanie Eckelkamp, Good Housekeeping, "These DIY Pumpkin Oatmeal Dog Treats Are So Good You Might Just Eat Them Yourself," 3 Sep. 2018 In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and Worcestershire; stir in oats, then cumin, thyme, cayenne, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; let stand 5 minutes. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Spicy Ketchup-Glazed Meatloaf," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for oat

Middle English ote "the grain of the oat plant, the plant itself," going back to Old English āte (weak feminine noun), of uncertain origin

Note: Old English āte has been compared with regional Dutch aate, oote "wild oats" (West and Zeeland Flanders), West Frisian and Groningen Dutch oat. (These contrast with Dutch haver, denoting cultivated oats, a reflex of the Common Germanic word for the grain.) Michiel de Vaan, in an addenda to the on-line etymologiebank.nl, believes that the Flanders words are semantic extensions of regional aat "food," of general Germanic origin (see eat entry 2), though this hypothesis would scarcely explain the Old English word. Jan de Vries (Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek, Brill, 1971) hypothesizes that the Low Country words may have been borrowed from English.