oasis
English
The Huacachina Oasis in Peru
Etymology
From Late Latin Oasis, from Ancient Greek Ὄασις (Óasis), from Demotic wḥj, from Egyptian wḥꜣt (“oasis, cauldron”),
|
Compare Sahidic Coptic ⲟⲩⲁϩⲉ (ouahe) and Arabic وَاحَة (wāḥa).
Pronunciation
Noun
oasis (plural oases or oasises)
- A spring of fresh water, surrounded by a fertile region of vegetation, in a desert.
- 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 7, in The Lonely Pyramid:
- It was the Lost Oasis, the Oasis of the vision in the sand. […] Deep-hidden in the hollow, beneath the cliffs, it lay; and round it the happy verdure spread for many a rood. […] Yes, the quest was ended, the Lost Oasis was the Found!
-
- A quiet, peaceful place or situation separated from surrounding noise or bustle.
- The park was an oasis in the middle of the busy city.
Usage notes
The plural oasises is rare and sometimes proscribed.
Translations
well surrounded by fertile region
|
|
quiet or peaceful place
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɔ.a.zis/
Audio (file)
Further reading
- “oasis” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Galician
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɔ.ˈa.sis/
Audio (file)
Spanish
Etymology
From Late Latin Oasis, from Ancient Greek Ὄασις (Óasis), from Demotic wḥj, from Egyptian wḥꜣt (“oasis, cauldron”),
|
.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /oˈasis/
This article is issued from
Wiktionary.
The text is licensed under Creative
Commons - Attribution - Sharealike.
Additional terms may apply for the media files.