window oyster
- noun
- Philippine
:
ostra ventana
- Fishermen in the Philippines harvest the window oyster from shallow coastal waters.
Examples
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The shells of the window oyster are often used to make decorative lamps and panels.
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Because of its thin, translucent shell, the window oyster is valued both for food and for crafts.
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The window oyster is prized for its unique shell.
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Did you see the window oyster at the aquarium?
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Fishermen in the Philippines harvest the window oyster from shallow coastal waters.
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Because of its thin, translucent shell, the window oyster is valued both for food and for crafts.
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The shells of the window oyster are often used to make decorative lamps and panels.
Synonyms
A sea shellfish with a large thin, flat clear shell called the windowpane oyster
A thin translucent shell from the Philippines used for decoration
A marine animal with a thin translucent shell used for decoration and window panes
A thin flat fish with almost clear skin found on the Atlantic coast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is transparently descriptive: 'window' evokes transparency and 'oyster' names the shellfish, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer an oyster with a window-like (translucent) shell. This follows common English noun+noun naming patterns for species and objects and is cross-linguistically a familiar descriptive strategy, making the meaning predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Window oyster gets its name from its very thin, almost 'see-through' shell. The shell works like a window that lets light through and the animal is an oyster, so people use its shells for lamps and panels and the name now points to this translucent bivalve.
