ostra
/ˈo.stra/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
ὄστρεον — oyster
Overview
Meaning Now
- A shell, oyster, or testaceous animal (Galician/Portuguese/Spanish).
Literal older meaning
oyster; shell
Language path
Greek → Latin → Galician/Portuguese/Spanish
Earliest form
ostrea
Earliest period
1st century BCE
Journey
The word is part of a large family of terms derived from the Greek 'ostrakon', which originally meant a tile or shell, and eventually gave rise to the practice of 'ostracism' in Athens, where citizens were exiled after a vote recorded on pottery shards.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
ὄστρεον
“oyster”
- Classical Latin
ostrea
“oyster; shell”
- Vulgar Latin
ostra
“oyster”
Contraction of ostrea
- Modern Galician/Portuguese/Spanish
ostra
“oyster”
Connections
Word parts
ostra
root
oyster/shell
Related across languages
French
huître
oyster
Italian
ostrica
oyster
English
oyster
oyster
Explore next
Related to ostra
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.