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oyster
oyster edible bivalve mollusk found in beds in shallow, warm waters of all oceans. The shell is made up of two valves, the upper one flat and the lower convex, with variable outlines and a rough outer surface. Since the oyster spends most of its life (except for the free-swimming larval stage) attached—having fused its valve with a sticky substance to a substratum of shells, rocks, or roots—the foot is rudimentary. In some species the sexes are separate and the eggs are laid and fertilized in the water; in others the animal is hermaphroditic and the eggs are retained with the shell. Only a small proportion of the millions of eggs laid survive. Large numbers of the free-swimming larvae, called veligers, are consumed by fish and other animals. After the oyster becomes sessile, it is victimized by oyster drills, starfish, and other enemies. Most species are too small for food, but the American, or common, oyster reaches a length of 2 to 6 in. (5–15 cm). These oysters are harvested in artificial beds on both coasts of the United States: on the Atlantic especially in the regions of the Delaware and Chesapeake bays and in the waters off Long Island, in the Gulf Coast off Louisiana, and in the Pacific off the state of Washington. Prepared beds are usually seeded with veligers or young sessile oysters called spats. In warm waters they mature in 1 1/2 years; in cooler waters the period of growth is about 4 to 5 years. They are usually transplanted several times before harvest to enhance their food supply and stimulate growth. The wing and the pearl oysters are widespread in warmer seas; there is one eastern and one western species of each in American waters. The great pearl oyster, from which the pearl is obtained, is a large (12-in./30.5-cm) tropical species. The familiar jingle shells, delicate, shiny orange or yellow shells common on beaches, belong to the same order as the oyster. Oysters are classified in the phylum Mollusca , class Pelecypoda or Bivalvia, order Filibranchia, family Ostreidae. |
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"oyster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "oyster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-oyster.html "oyster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-oyster.html |
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oyster
oys·ter / ˈoistər/ • n. 1. any of a number of bivalve mollusks with rough irregular shells. Several kinds are eaten (esp. raw) as a delicacy and may be farmed for food or pearls, in particular: ∎ a true oyster (family Ostreidae), including the edible American oyster (Crassostrea virginica). ∎ a similar bivalve of another family, esp. the thorny oysters (Spondylidae), wing oysters (Pteriidae), and saddle oysters (Anomiidae). 2. an oyster-shaped morsel of meat on each side of the backbone in poultry. 3. (also oyster white) a shade of grayish white. • v. [intr.] raise, dredge, or gather oysters. • adj. of the color oyster white. PHRASES: the world is your oyster you are in a position to take the opportunities that life has to offer. ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French oistre, via Latin from Greek ostreon; related to osteon ‘bone’ and ostrakon ‘shell or tile.’ |
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"oyster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "oyster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-oyster.html "oyster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-oyster.html |
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oyster
oyster Marine bivalve mollusc, Ostreidae and Crassostrea spp. One dozen oysters (120 g of the edible portion) are an exceptionally rich source of vitamin B12; a rich source of iron, iodine, selenium, and vitamin D; a good source of protein and niacin; a source of vitamins A, B1, and B2, and supply 85 kcal (360 kJ).
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DAVID A. BENDER. "oyster." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAVID A. BENDER. "oyster." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-oyster.html DAVID A. BENDER. "oyster." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-oyster.html |
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oyster
oyster taken proverbially as the type of someone who is reserved and uncommunicative.
don't eat oysters unless there is an R in the month from the tradition that oysters were likely to be unsafe to eat in the warmer months between May and August. See also the world is one's oyster. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oyster." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oyster." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-oyster.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oyster." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-oyster.html |
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oyster
oyster Edible bivalve mollusc found worldwide in temperate and warm seas. The European flat, or edible, oyster Ostrea edulis occurs throughout coastal waters. The pearl oyster (Pinctada fucats) produces cultured pearls.
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"oyster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "oyster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-oyster.html "oyster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-oyster.html |
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oyster
oyster XIV. ME. oistre — OF. oistre, uistre (mod. huitre) — L. ostrea (whence also OE. ostre), also ostreum — Gr. óstreon, rel. to ostéon bone.
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T. F. HOAD. "oyster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "oyster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-oyster.html T. F. HOAD. "oyster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-oyster.html |
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oyster
oyster •exploiter, goitre (US goiter), loiter, reconnoitre (US reconnoiter), Reuter
•anointer, appointer, jointer, pointer
•cloister, hoister, oyster, roister
•accoutre (US accouter), commuter, computer, disputer, hooter, looter, neuter, pewter, polluter, recruiter, refuter, rooter, saluter, scooter, shooter, souter, suitor, tooter, transmuter, tutor, uprooter
•booster, rooster
•doomster • freebooter • sharpshooter
•peashooter • six-shooter
•troubleshooter • prosecutor
•persecutor • prostitutor
•telecommuter
•footer, putter
•Gupta • Worcester • Münster
•pussyfooter • executor
•contributor, distributor
•collocutor, interlocutor
•abutter, aflutter, butter, Calcutta, clutter, constructor, cutter, flutter, gutter, mutter, nutter, scutter, shutter, splutter, sputter, strutter, stutter, utter
•abductor, conductor, destructor, instructor, obstructor
•insulter
•Arunta, Bunter, chunter, Grantha, grunter, Gunter, hunter, junta, punter, shunter
•corrupter, disrupter, interrupter
•sculptor
•adjuster, Augusta, bluster, buster, cluster, Custer, duster, fluster, lustre (US luster), muster, thruster, truster
•huckster • Ulster • dumpster
•funster, Munster, punster
•funkster, youngster
•gangbuster • filibuster • blockbuster
•semiconductor • headhunter
•woodcutter
•lacklustre (US lackluster)
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Cite this article
"oyster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "oyster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-oyster.html "oyster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-oyster.html |
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