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Glite Dictionary
Ostrea gigas

Ostrea gigas

9.9
A large oyster from Japan often called the Pacific oyster
  • noun
  • /oʊˈstriːə ˈɡiːɡəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Ostrea gigas
  • Scientists are studying the impact of Ostrea gigas on local ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.

Examples

  • The Ostrea gigas has become widely cultivated in aquaculture due to its rapid growth.

  • The chef prepared a delicious dish using Ostrea gigas.

  • Many seafood restaurants now serve Ostrea gigas as a delicacy, often labeling it as 'Pacific oyster.'

  • Have you ever tasted Ostrea gigas?

  • Many seafood restaurants now serve Ostrea gigas as a delicacy, often labeling it as 'Pacific oyster.'

  • Scientists are studying the impact of Ostrea gigas on local ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.

  • The Ostrea gigas has become widely cultivated in aquaculture due to its rapid growth.

Synonyms

Japanese oyster
vsOstrea gigas
4.9

A large edible oyster from Japan often grown on farms

is the scientific name used for the same species

Surface Forms

Ostrea gigas singular
Ostrea gigas plural

Morphology

Ostrea + gigas

This is a Linnaean binomial combining the genus name Ostrea (a group of true oysters) with the specific epithet gigas, which conventionally means ‘large/giant’ in taxonomic Latin/Greek; together they transparently denote a large oyster species. Although 'gigas' may not appear in everyday dictionaries, the compositional pattern of genus + descriptive epithet is regular and cross-linguistically recognizable, so a learner who knows both constituents would infer the meaning.

Etymology

Ostrea gigas comes from old Latin and Greek words: Ostrea means 'oyster' and gigas means 'giant' or 'large'. So, the name describes a big oyster and that is why it is used for the large Pacific oyster species.