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 a fertile region of vegetation, in a desert.
  • 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 Late Latin Oasis, an oasis in the Libyan desert, from Greek, name of various oases in the the Libyan Desert, from Egyptian wḥ't, oasis.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ὄασις (óasis), from Demotic wḥỉ, from Egyptian

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Examples

  • “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

  • “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

  • Inside his brick townhouse, where he composes, Glass says he has created what he calls an "oasis of tranquility."

    News 2012

  • 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.

    Boston.com Top Stories 2010

  • 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

  • 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

  • Plus Key West: still the gay and lesbian oasis is also in her district.

    Think Progress » Obama Publicly Condemns Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Legislation: It Is An ‘Odious’ Bill 2010

  • This green oasis is not typical for the architecture in Brazil, but resembles that which you can find in the Scandinavian countries. - via DagenDesign

    Villa Rahoj Alle in Hojbjerg, Denmark 2010

  • 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

  • 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

Comments

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  • wḥ't on earth is that last bit of etymology?

    January 21, 2013

  • 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