n.
Pronunciation: ' o ̇ is-t ə r
Function: noun
Usage: often attrib
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 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