oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

often attributive

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 oysters

2

: 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 fowl

4

: an extremely taciturn person

5

: a grayish-white color

Examples of oyster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Upstairs at the mod poolside lounge (open daily until midnight), an oyster bar offers daily selections of both domestic and international catches alongside several other crustaceans like king crab and lobster. —Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2024

There’s just enough space for our multiple orders of scallop tostadas; oyster shooters topped with dollops of caviar; and a plate of spot prawns. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Aqua Penny’s Boston Tear Drop oysters, for example, begin their lives in the tidal flats of Crowes Pasture Beach, where Quivett Creek and Cape Cod Bay converge. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024

Ruggiero, a onetime champion of the Grey Lady’s biannual oyster eating competition, told the group that the trick to winning is the bulk approach. —Vanessa Golembewski, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024

The Salt Line is opening early at noon, and happy hour runs until 6 p.m. with half-price local oysters, discounted wine and draft beer and cocktails. —Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

The entire buffet adds leg of lamb, ham and roast chicken, oysters, shrimp cocktail and ceviche, plus sides and salads. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024

Wild Blue also launched an après-ski menu, pairing cocktails with snacks such as fresh oysters and truffle fries. —Carolyn Heller, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Getting ready to open Aqua Penny’s — her new, upscale seafood restaurant with a raw oyster bar — has been a labor of love. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English oistre, borrowed from Anglo-French oistre, ostre, going back to Latin ostrea, ostreum "bivalve mollusk, oyster," borrowed from Greek óstreion, óstreon, of uncertain origin

Note: Greek óstreion has traditionally been taken to be a derivative, with a suffix -ei-, of a stem going back to Indo-European *h₃esth₁-r-, from the base *h₃esth₁- "bone." See note at ostracon.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing oyster

• European flat oyster
• European oyster
• Olympia oyster
• oyster bed
• oyster crab
• oyster cracker
• oyster drill
• oyster mushroom
• oyster plant
• seed oyster
• the world is someone's oyster
• vegetable oyster

Kids Definition

oyster

noun

oys·​ter ˈȯi-stər 

: any of various marine mollusks that include important edible shellfish and have a rough uneven shell made up of two hinged parts and closed by a single muscle