Oyster

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Oyster \Oys"ter\ (ois"t[~e]r), n. [OF. oistre, F. hu[^i]tre, L.
     ostrea, ostreum, Gr. 'o`streon; prob. akin to 'ostre`on bone,
     the oyster being so named from its shell. Cf. {Osseous},
     {Ostracize}.]
     1. (Zool.) Any marine bivalve mollusk of the genus Ostrea.
        They are usually found adhering to rocks or other fixed


        objects in shallow water along the seacoasts, or in
        brackish water in the mouth of rivers. The common European
        oyster ({Ostrea edulis}), and the American oyster ({Ostrea
        Virginiana}), are the most important species.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A name popularly given to the delicate morsel contained in
        a small cavity of the bone on each side of the lower part
        of the back of a fowl.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Fresh-water oyster} (Zool.), any species of the genus
        {Etheria}, and allied genera, found in rivers of Africa
        and South America. They are irregular in form, and attach
        themselves to rocks like oysters, but they have a pearly
        interior, and are allied to the fresh-water mussels.
  
     {Oyster bed}, a breeding place for oysters; a place in a
        tidal river or other water on or near the seashore, where
        oysters are deposited to grow and fatten for market. See
        1st {Scalp}, n.
  
     {Oyster catcher} (Zool.), See {oystercatcher} in the
        vocabulary.
  
     {Oyster crab} (Zool.) a small crab ({Pinnotheres ostreum})
        which lives as a commensal in the gill cavity of the
        oyster.
  
     {Oyster dredge}, a rake or small dragnet for bringing up
        oysters from the bottom of the sea.
  
     {Oyster fish}. (Zool.)
        (a) The tautog.
        (b) The toadfish.
  
     {Oyster plant}. (Bot.)
        (a) A plant of the genus {Tragopogon} ({Tragopogon
            porrifolius}), the root of which, when cooked,
            somewhat resembles the oyster in taste; salsify; --
            called also {vegetable oyster}.
        (b) A plant found on the seacoast of Northern Europe,
            America and Asia ({Mertensia maritima}), the fresh
            leaves of which have a strong flavor of oysters.
  
     {Oyster plover}. (Zool.) Same as {oystercatcher}.
  
     {Oyster shell} (Zool.), the shell of an oyster.
  
     {Oyster wench}, {Oyster wife}, {Oyster women}, a women who
        deals in oysters.
  
     {Pearl oyster}. (Zool.) See under {Pearl}.
  
     {Thorny oyster} (Zool.), any spiny marine shell of the genus
        {Spondylus}.
        [1913 Webster] oystercatcher

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  oyster
       n 1: marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the
            sea bed mostly in coastal waters
       2: edible body of any of numerous oysters [syn: {huitre}]
       3: a small muscle on each side of the back of a fowl
       v : gather oysters, dig oysters

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  39 Moby Thesaurus words for "oyster":
     Dungeness crab, Japanese crab, blue point, breast, chicken foot,
     clam, coquillage, crab, crawdad, crawfish, crayfish, dark meat,
     drumstick, giblets, langouste, leg, limpet, littleneck clam,
     lobster, long suit, medium, metier, mussel, neck, periwinkle,
     prawn, quahog, scallop, shellfish, shrimp, snail, soft-shell crab,
     steamer, thigh, turkey foot, whelk, white meat, wing, wishbone
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  OYSTER, n.  A slimy, gobby shellfish which civilization gives men the
  hardihood to eat without removing its entrails!  The shells are
  sometimes given to the poor.
  
  
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