oat

noun

ˈōt How to pronounce oat (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: any of several grasses (genus Avena)
especially : a widely cultivated cereal grass (A. sativa)
b
: a crop or plot of the oat
also : the seed of an oat
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
2
archaic : a reed instrument made of an oat straw

Illustration of oat

Illustration of oat
  • oat 1a
Phrases
feel one's oats
: to act in a newly self-confident and often self-important manner

Examples of oat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Xue also recommended getting hydrated and eating high-fiber foods such as oats and beans to produce regular bowel movements and avoid straining. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024 The base is made from gluten-free oats sweetened with coconut sugar and flavored with vanilla bean, cardamom, and cinnamon. —Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 6 Nov. 2024 Or, try these oat and pecan brittle cookies, a Hormati fave that not only incorporates whole oats into the dough, but also oat flour. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 1 Nov. 2024 These cookies combine extra nutty flavors, with toasty oats, and creamy peanut butter. —Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for oat 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ote "the grain of the oat plant, the plant itself," going back to Old English āte (weak feminine noun), of uncertain origin

Note: Old English āte has been compared with regional Dutch aate, oote "wild oats" (West and Zeeland Flanders), West Frisian and Groningen Dutch oat. (These contrast with Dutch haver, denoting cultivated oats, a reflex of the Common Germanic word for the grain.) Michiel de Vaan, in an addenda to the online etymologiebank.nl, believes that the Flanders words are semantic extensions of regional aat "food," of general Germanic origin (see eat entry 2), though this hypothesis would scarcely explain the Old English word. Jan de Vries (Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek, Brill, 1971) hypothesizes that the Low Country words may have been borrowed from English.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of oat was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing oat

Dictionary Entries Near oat

oast

oat

oatcake

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Oat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oat. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

oat

noun
ˈōt How to pronounce oat (audio)
: a grain that is widely grown for its long loose clusters of seeds which are used for human food and for livestock feed
oaten
ˈōt-ᵊn
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on oat

Nglish: Translation of oat for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of oat for Arabic Speakers

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