oat

views updated May 17 2018

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.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

oat

views updated Jun 08 2018

oat Cereal plant native to w Europe, and cultivated worldwide. The flower comprises numerous florets that produce one-seeded fruits. Mainly fed to livestock, oats are also eaten by humans. Family Poaceae/Gramineae; species Avena sativa.

World Encyclopedia

oat

views updated May 11 2018

oat (pl.) grains of the cereal Avena sativa. OE. āte, pl. ātan, peculiar to Eng. and of unkn. orig.
Hence oaten (-EN3) XV.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

oat

views updated May 29 2018

oat See AVENA.

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences MICHAEL ALLABY

OAT

views updated May 29 2018

OAT outside air temperature

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH