oyster Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the sea bed mostly in coastal waters
  2. noun edible body of any of numerous oysters
    huitre.
  3. noun a small muscle on each side of the back of a fowl
  4. verb gather oysters, dig oysters

WordNet

Oys"ter noun
Etymology
OF. oistre, F. huître, L. ostrea, ostreum,Gr. prob. akin to bone, the oyster being so named from its shell. Cf. Osseous, Ostracize.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) 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.
  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.

Webster 1913