oat

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oat / ōt/ • n. a cereal plant (Avena sativa) cultivated chiefly in cool climates and widely used for animal feed as well as human consumption. ∎  (oats) the grain yielded by this, used as food. ∎  used in names of wild grasses related to the cultivated oat, e.g., wild oat.PHRASES: feel one's oats inf. feel lively and energetic.sow one's wild oats go through a period of wild or promiscuous behavior while young.DERIVATIVES: oat·en / ˈōtn/ adj. ( archaic )oat·y adj.

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