a young oyster, esp a cultivated oyster, ready for transplantation
seed oyster in American English
noun
a very young oyster, esp. one used in the cultivating and transplanting of an oyster bed
Word origin
[1880–85]This word is first recorded in the period 1880–85. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: highball, impressionism, irredentist, pari-mutuel, quotation mark