Oates, Captain Law ‧ rence /əʊts, ˈlɒrəns $ ˈlɔː-/ BrE AmE
(1880–1912) a British ↑ explorer who went with Captain Scott on his journey to the South Pole. On the way back, Oates was suffering from ↑ frostbite and could no longer walk fast enough, so he deliberately killed himself by going out into the snow, because he did not want to delay the other members of the team.