Where does “oyster” come from?
Oyster comes from Middle English oystre, from Old English ostre, from Latin ostrea, from Ancient Greek ὄστρεον, all referring to the shellfish.
oyster (English): Any of certain marine bivalve mollusks,...
Definitions
- Any of certain marine bivalve mollusks,...
Ancestry of “oyster”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | oystre | An oyster or a similar shellfish |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | oistre | oyster |
| 3 | Old French | oistre | oyster |
| 4 | Latin | ostrea | oyster, mussel |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὄστρεον | bivalve; oyster; purple pigment, probably that... |
Words derived from “oyster”