Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A fertile or green area in a desert or wasteland, made so by the presence of water.
- noun A situation or place preserved from surrounding unpleasantness; a refuge.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Originally, a fertile spot in the Libyan desert where there is a spring or well and more or loss vegetation; now, any fertile tract in the midst of a waste: often used figuratively.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A fertile or green spot in a waste or desert, esp. in a sandy desert, where the water table approaches the surface.
- noun Any refuge from a prevailing stressful, unpleasant, or annoying situation.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
spring of fresh water, surrounded by afertile region ofvegetation , in adesert . - noun A quiet, peaceful place or situation separated from surrounding noise or bustle.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
- noun a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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“This is what you call an oasis,” said Tam Lin, throwing down his pack and taking out food for the picnic.
House Of The Scorpion Nancy Farmer 2002
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“This is what you call an oasis,” said Tam Lin, throwing down his pack and taking out food for the picnic.
House Of The Scorpion Nancy Farmer 2002
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Inside his brick townhouse, where he composes, Glass says he has created what he calls an "oasis of tranquility."
News 2012
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For Frankie Rosa, 22, who grew up in East Boston, the possibility of staying at what he describes as my oasis'' at Bridge Over Troubled Waters would be a big improvement over the city shelters where he bunks at night.
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But what strikes me about all of this tumult here in our little Hollywood oasis is that for me it was actual life happening, actual community.
Stephen Gyllenhaal: Music of the Spheres Stephen Gyllenhaal 2010
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But what strikes me about all of this tumult here in our little Hollywood oasis is that for me it was actual life happening, actual community.
Stephen Gyllenhaal: Music of the Spheres Stephen Gyllenhaal 2010
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Plus Key West: still the gay and lesbian oasis is also in her district.
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This green oasis is not typical for the architecture in Brazil, but resembles that which you can find in the Scandinavian countries. - via DagenDesign
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But what strikes me about all of this tumult here in our little Hollywood oasis is that for me it was actual life happening, actual community.
Stephen Gyllenhaal: Music of the Spheres Stephen Gyllenhaal 2010
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But what strikes me about all of this tumult here in our little Hollywood oasis is that for me it was actual life happening, actual community.
Stephen Gyllenhaal: Music of the Spheres Stephen Gyllenhaal 2010
bilby commented on the word oasis
wḥ't on earth is that last bit of etymology?
January 21, 2013
fbharjo commented on the word oasis
wt' in Western Semitic means 'save, help, or deliver' though. I wonder if w'th and wt' have a common root. They appear to have a common meaning!
January 21, 2013