Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: OATS |
OATSPlural1. Of Oat |
Date "OATS" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
19th Century Satire | England's horse-feed, America's breakfast and Scotland's table-d'hote. Source: Foolish Dictionary, 1904. |
Dream Interpretation | To dream that oats hold the vision, portends a variety of good things. The farmer will especially advance in fortune and domestic harmony. To see decayed oats, foretells that sorrow will displace bright hopes. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Literature | Oats He has sown his wild oats. He has left off his gay habits and is become steady. The thick vapours which rise on the earth's surface just before the lands in the north burst into vegetation, are called in Denmark Lok kens havre (Loki's wild oats). When the fine weather succeeds, the Danes say, "Loki has sown his wild oats." Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Slang in 1811 | OATS. He has sowed his wild oats; he is staid, or sober, having left off his wild tricks. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Oats Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus: Avena Species A. abyssinica
A. barbata
A. fatua
A. maroccana
A. nuda
A. occidentalis
A. sativa
A. sterilis
A. strigosaReferences ITIS 41455 2002-09-22 Oats are the fruits of any of several cereal grains, genus Avena. They are used for food and as fodder for animals. Oat straw is also sometimes used as animal feed.
Oats are often served as a porridge made from crushed oats or oatmeal, and are also baked into cookies. As oat flour or oatmeal, they are also used in a variety of other baked goods and cold cereals, and as an ingredient in granola.
Oats are native to Eurasia and appear to have been domesticated relatively late. They are now grown throughout the temperate zones. Like wheat, oats are an annual plant, and can be planted either in the fall (for early summer harvest) or in the spring (for late summer harvest).
Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat. Its consumption is believed to lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and possibly to reduce the risk of heart disease. Oats are also a safe grain for people with celiac disease (gluten intolerance).
Oat straw is also used in corn dolly making, and it is the favourite filling for lace-making pillows.
Agronomy
Sow oats in the spring as soon as the soil can be worked. An early start is crucial to good yields as oats will go dormant during the summer heat. Oats are cold-tolerant and will be unaffected by late frosts or snow. Sow at about 2 bushels per acre, either broadcast or drilled in 6" rows. Lower rates are used when underseeding with a legume. Somewhat higher rates can be used on the best soils. Excessive sowing rates will lead to problems with lodging and will reduce yields.
Oats remove substantial amounts of nitrogen from the soil. If the straw is removed from the soil rather than being plowed back, there will also be removal of large quantities of potash. Usually 50-100 pounds of N in the form of urea or anhydrous ammonia is sufficient. A sufficient amount of N is particularly important for plant height and hence straw quality and yield. When the prior-year crop was a legume, or where ample manure is applied, N rates can be reduced somewhat.
The vigorous growth habit of oats will tend to choke out most weeds. A few tall broadleaf weeds, such as ragweed and buttonweed (velvetleaf), can be a problem occasionally especially as they complicate harvest. These can be controlled with a modest application of a simple broadleaf herbicide such as 2,4D while the weeds are still small.
Modern harvest technique is a matter of available equipment, local tradition, and priorities. Best yields are attained by swathing--cutting the plants at about 4" above ground and putting them into windrows with the grain all oriented the same way--just before the grain is completely ripe. The windrows are left to dry in the sun for several days before being combined using a dummy head. Then the straw is baled.
Oats can also be left standing until completely ripe and then combined with a grain head. This will lead to greater field losses as the grain falls from the heads, and also to harvesting losses as the grain is threshed out by the reel. Without a draper head, there will also be somewhat more damage to the straw since it will not be properly oriented as it enters the throat of the combine. Overall yield loss is 10-15% compared to proper swathing.
Late 19th and early 20th century harvesting was performed using a binder. Oats were shocked and then collected and run through a stationary threshing machine.
Earlier harvest involved cutting with a scythe or sickle, and threshing under the feet of cattle.
A good yield from a field of oats is typically 100 bushels of grain and 2 tons of straw.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Oat."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
OATS | English | Open Area Test Site | Computing |
OATS | Italian | Sito di misura in campo libero | Computing |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Adolescence | Verb: come of age, come to man's estate, come to years of discretion; attain majority, assume the toga virilis; have cut one's eyeteeth, have sown one's mild oats. |
Amusement | Amuse oneself, game; play a game, play pranks, play tricks; sport, disport, toy, wanton, revel, junket, feast, carouse, banquet, make merry, drown care; drive dull care away; frolic, gambol, frisk, romp; caper; dance; (leap); keep up the ball; run a rig, sow one's wild oats, have one's fling, take one's pleasure; paint the town red; see life; desipere in loco, play the fool. |
Improvement | Advance; (progress); ascend; increase; fructify, ripen, mature; pick up, come about, rally, take a favorable turn; turn over a new leaf, turn the corner; raise one's head, sow one's wild oats; recover. |
Intemperance | Revel; rake, live hard, run riot, sow one's wild oats; slake one's thirst; swill; pamper. |
Vice | Verb: be vicious; Adjective: sin, commit sin, do amiss, err, transgress; misdemean oneself, forget oneself, misconduct oneself; misdo, misbehave; fall, lapse, slip, trip, offend, trespass; deviate from the line of duty, deviate from the path of virtue; take a wrong course, go astray; hug a sin, hug a fault; sow one's wild oats. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: OATS |
| English words defined with "OATS": Animal oats, Animated oats, Avena, Avenaceous, Avenage, Avener ♦ burgoo ♦ cereal, cereal grass ♦ Drank ♦ Embden groats ♦ genus Avena, gluten-free diet, granola ♦ halo blight, Haver ♦ Oat fowl, Oat grass, oaten, oatmeal, oatmeal cookie ♦ Shealing, stripe blight ♦ White crop, Wild oat, Wild oats. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "OATS": Answer more Scotico ♦ Canadian Wheat Board, cereal miller, Contract commodity, Cuckoo Oats and Woodcock Hay ♦ FARMWORKER, GRAIN I, Feed of Corn, FLAKE MILLER, WHEAT AND OATS, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations ♦ Non-program crops ♦ oat cell cancer ♦ PENN ♦ Target price, Triallate ♦ Uncumber. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "OATS": Avener. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Now excuse me, I need to sow my super oats! (The Incredible Hulk; writing credit: Jack Kirby; Stan Lee) | |
Clever | Old folks say, "My wild oats have turned to prunes and All Bran. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Wild Oats (1940) His Wild Oats (1916) Wild Oats (1915) Hogan's Wild Oats (1915) Wild Oats (1994) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
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Books |
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Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | (1) color slide shows an open package of two granola bars (Quaker oats brand). Credit: Renee Comet (photographer). |  | Sea oats in the morning sun. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Sunrise as seen through the sea oats at Nannygoat Beach. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Dune plants like sea oats and railroad vine help to anchor dune systems. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |
 | Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Key Island Before -- Australian pines took over the barrier island, shading out native vegetation and displacing sea oats, a native fore-dune stabilizer, and other native plants. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |  | Contour stripcropping, alternating bands of corn, oats and alfalfa in a field in northeast Iowa. Credit: Lynn Betts. |
 | Strips of oats and hay are interspersed with strips of corn to save soil and improve water quality and wildlife habitat on this field in northeast Iowa. Credit: Lynn Betts. |  | Magaly Rodriguez, NRCS, Soil Conservation Tech. examines sea oats recently planted to stabilize erosion during hurricanes and severe storms. Credit: USDA. |
 | Oats, barley, and some products made from them. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Peggy Greb.. |  | Science supports grandmother's advice that oats are good for you-they can help lower cholesterol levels. Scientists speculate oats may accomplish this by slowing the rate at which the intestines absorb carbohydrates. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | He stopped before an inn to let his horse breathe and to have some oats given him. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | And one head of wild oats was clamped into the shell by a front leg. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | They dined in the best room, and had oats boiled in milk for the second course, which the old horse ate warm, but the rest cold |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Soluble fibers can be eaten in the form of certain vegetables, fruits, oats, and legumes. (references) | |
Whether people with celiac disease should avoid oats is controversial because some people have been able to eat oats without having a reaction. (references) | ||
Emphasize breads and cereals, especially the whole grain varieties, such as whole wheat bread, oats, and brown rice. These foods are good sources of complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and fiber. (references) | ||
Economic History | Belarus | Potatoes, flax, hemp, sugarbeets, rye, oats, and wheat are the chief agricultural products. (references) |
Norway | Products--dairy, livestock, grain (barley, oats, wheat), potatoes and other vegetables, fruits and berries, furs, wool. (references) | |
Finland | Agriculture (3% of GDP): Products--meat (pork and beef), grain (wheat, rye, barley, oats), dairy products, potatoes, rapeseed. (references) | |
Trade | Brazil | Breeder livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys, including semen and embryos); wine and brandy, distilled spirits (rum, wodka and whiskey); fresh vegetables (asparagus, beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, garlic, lettuce, onions, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes); canned vegetables (asparagus, beans, carrots, corn, peas, tomatoes and tomato paste); frozen vegetables (beans, broccoli, carrots, corn and spinach); peanut butter or peanut flour; dairy products (butter, butter oil, ghee, anhydrous milk fat, non-fat and whole milk powder, whey powder, whey protein concentrate, lactose, non-sweetened condensed milk, fluid milk, lecithin and cheese); ice cream; meat, frozen or chilled (beef, pork and their products);wheat, wheat flour, semolina; cotton, 100% cotton yarn, 100% cotton fabrics (woven and knit unbleached/bleached/dyed, and/or printed); rice; feed grains (barley, including malting barley, white corn, yellow corn, sorghum and oats); corn products (flour, starch, corn meal, popcorn and gluten); pulses(dry beans, peas and lentils), poultry breeder stock (baby chicks, turkey pouts and hatching eggs); eggs and egg products (fresh, dry, refrigerated, frozen, albumin, etc); fresh fruits (apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries, cherries, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, lemons, melons, nectarines, oranges, pears, plums, peaches, raspberries and tangerines); hops: hops extract; tallow: grease, lard, barley malt; potatoes(cut and chilled or frozen; flakes, granules); peanuts; commercially prepared dog and cat food, animal feed ingredients, fish food; seeds for sowing; almonds ( walnuts, pistachios, hazelnut and pecan); dry fruits, frozen fruits, canned fruits, fruit pure and fruit pulp, 100% natural fruit juice; seafood (fresh and frozen);tomato paste; alfalfa; honey; skins; nutritional beverages preparations (for human consumption); soy protein products; vegetable oils; wood; beer; cereals; preparation for breads and pizzas (powder, refrigerated of frozen); canned pickles; ready-to-eat meals; soft drinks and sodas; soups and sauces. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "OATS" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.32% of the time. "OATS" is used about 293 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.32% | 291 | 17,055 |
| Noun (plural) | 0.68% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 293 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "OATS" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Oats | Last name | 200 | 37,248 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| Country | Name |
| USA | The Quaker Oats Co. |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "OATS": Animal oats ♦ Animated oats ♦ feel one's oats ♦ field of oats ♦ have sown one's mild oats ♦ he has sown his wild oats ♦ rolled oats ♦ saw one's wild oats ♦ sow one's oats ♦ sow one's wild oats ♦ To feel one's oats ♦ To sow one's wild oats ♦ wild oats. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "OATS": wild-oats. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
oats.com quaker | 6 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "OATS"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | jam i kënaqur (be satisfied, feel one's oats). (various references) | |
Blackfoot | matoyí'nssimaan. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | овесена каша (gruel, oatmeal, porridge, stirabout), овес (oat). (various references) | |
Chinese | 麥 (barley, wheat), 燕麦 (Oat). (various references) | |
Czech | vybouřit se (saw one's wild oats). (various references) | |
Danish | havre (bearded oat, black oat, bristle oat, common oat, common oats, oat, sand oat, slender oat). (various references) | |
Dutch | haver (common oat, common oats, oat). (various references) | |
Esperanto | aveno. (various references) | |
Faeroese | havri. (various references) | |
Finnish | kaura (common oat, common oats, oat). (various references) | |
French | avoine (oat). (various references) | |
Frisian | hjouwer. (various references) | |
German | Hafer (oat). (various references) | |
Greek | βρώμη (common oat, oat), βρόμη (oat). (various references) | |
Hebrew | שבולת שועל. (various references) | |
Hungarian | zab (corn, haver, oat). (various references) | |
Irish | coirce. (various references) | |
Italian | avena (oat). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 烏麦 , 燕麦 , からす麦 (at all, changing suddenly and completely, completely, quite, utterly), エンボス 工 (auction, audience, audience survey, audio, audiometer, audio-visual, audition, auditorium, Austin, Australia, Australopithecus, Austria, authentic, authority, authorization, authorize, auto, auto door, auto focus, auto parlor, auto player, auto show, autobacks, autobiography, autocamping, auto-changer, autocracy, autocross, automatic, automatic clutch, automatic control, automatic stop, automatic transmission, automatic tuning deck, auto-nurse, autopilot, auxin, custom-made, eau de Cologne, embossment, enlargement, enrich, haute couture, made-to-order, motorcycle race, motorcycle), OA, oak, oaks, ocean, ocean race, oceanaut, Odin, office automation, office lady, ogre, OK, OL, old girl, orc, orchard, orchestra, orchestra box, order, order entry system, order made, ordinary, organdy, organization, organize, organizer, orgasm, orgy, orgy party, orthodox, ostrich). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | からすむぎ, オート (auto), え"ばく. (various references) | |
Korean | 귀리 (Oat). (various references) | |
Manx | sheel (issue, lineage, offspring, pip, seed, sperm, spunk). (various references) | |
Norwegian | havre. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | oatsay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | aveia (oat, oatmeal). (various references) | |
Romanian | s-a cuminţit (he has sown his wild oats), face pe grozavul (be on stilts, feel one's oats, prance, puff, show off, Snoot, swank, talk big, talk through one's hat), câmp de ovãz (field of oats), a-şi da aere (attitudinize, be on the high horse, be on the high ropes, cut a dash, feel one's oats, give oneself airs, look big, put on airs, ride the high horse). (various references) | |
Romany | jov. (various references) | |
Russian | овес (oat). (various references) | |
Scottish | corc (a cork, a knife, knife, whittle), coirce (corn). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | ovas (oat), zob (oat). (various references) | |
Spanish | avena (groats, oat, oatmeal). (various references) | |
Swazi | li-fólishi. (various references) | |
Swedish | havre (corn, oat, rolled oats). (various references) | |
Turkish | yulaf (corn, oat, oaten). (various references) | |
Turkmen | sьle. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | avena, Avena sativa. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words ending with "OATS": airboats, bareboats, bloats, bluecoats, boats, bumboats, bushgoats, catboats, coats, cockboats, cutthroats, doats, faltboats, ferryboats, fireboats, flatboats, floats, flyboats, foldboats, gloats, goats, greatcoats, groats, gunboats, houseboats, housecoats, iceboats, johnboats, keelboats, lifeboats, longboats, maxicoats, moats, motorboats, outercoats, overcoats, paddleboats, peacoats, petticoats, picketboats, pigboats, powerboats, raincoats, redcoats, refloats, riverboats, rowboats, rubythroats, sailboats, sauceboats, scapegoats. (additional references) | |
Words containing "OATS": boatsman, boatsmen, boatswain, boatswains, goatskin, goatskins, goatsucker, goatsuckers. (additional references) | |
| |
"OATS" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: aats, doats, iast, ikats, joats, oaas, oabs, Oaes, oaet, oaets, Oasa, oasts, oate, oates, oati, oatis, oaty, oet, oett, ofat, ofts, ohaus, oics, ois, oits, Okatu, olts, onatas, oots, oqats, osta, osts, ota, Otai, Otash, otay, otes, Otez, ots, otso, Otsu, otts, otz, Ouata, outc, outsa, ovates, ozas, Ozato, Ukasta. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "OATS" (pronounced ō"ts) |
| 3 | ō" t s | boats, coats, connotes, Cotes, denotes, devotes, floats, gloats, goats, moats, motes, notes, promotes, quotes, throats, totes, votes. |
| 2 | -t s | absolutes, abstracts, abuts, accelerants, accelerates, accents, accentuates, accepts, accidents, accommodates, accompaniments, accomplishments, abandonments, abatements, abates, abbreviates, abdicates, abducts, abolitionists, abortifacients, abortionists, accountants, accounts, accouterments, accumulates, achievements, acolytes, acquits, acrobats, activates, activists, acts, adapts, addicts, adherents, adjuncts, adjustments, adjusts, admits, adolescents, adopts, adults, advancements, advertisements, advocates, aerostats, affects, affidavits, affiliates, afflicts, affricates, affronts, aftereffects, agates, agents, aggravates, aggregates, agonists, agreements, agronomists, ailments, airboats, airlifts, airports, alerts, alienates, alignments, alleviates, allocates, allotments, allots, alternates, amendments, ammonites, amounts, amulets, amusements, analysts, anarchists, ancients, anecdotes, anesthesiologists, animates, animists, anklets, annotates, announcements, antagonists, antecedents, anthropologists, anticipates, antidepressants, antioxidants, ants, apartments, apatites, apologists, appetites, applicants, appointments, appoints, appreciates, appropriates, approximates, apricots, aquanauts, aquarists, aqueducts, arbitrates, archaeologists, architects, archivists, argonauts, arguments, aristocrats, armaments, armpits, armrests, arraignments, arrangements, arrests, arsonists, articulates, artifacts, artists, arts, aspects, aspirants, aspirates, assailants, assaults, asserts, assessments, assets, assignments, assistants, assists, associates, astringents, astronauts, asymptotes, Ates, atheists, athletes, attachments, attempts, attendants, attenuates, attests, attracts, attributes. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: oast, stoa, taos. | |
| Words within the letters "a-o-s-t" | |
-1 letter: oat, sat, sot, tao, tas. | |
-2 letters: as, at, os, so, ta, to. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-o-s-t" | |
+1 letter: altos, ascot, atoms, autos, boast, boats, botas, coast, coats, costa, datos, doats, fatso, goats, hosta, iotas, jatos, jotas, lotas, moats, oasts, oaths, ostia, ratos, roast, rotas, sabot, santo, shoat, softa, stoae, stoai, stoas, stoat, stoma, tacos, taros, toads, toast, toeas, togas, tolas, toras. | |
+2 letters: abbots, aborts, accost, actors, adopts, aftosa, allots, almost, aorist, aortas, argots, aristo, ascots, assort, astony, atolls, atones, avoset, azotes, azoths, bathos, batons, biotas, bloats, boarts, boasts, cantos, castor, coacts, coapts, coasts, coatis, costae, costal, costar, cotans, cottas, dattos, fagots, fatsos, floats, flotas, gators, gavots, gloats, groats, hostas, jabots, korats, lotahs, lovats, magots, mascot, matzos, oaters, oblast, octads, octans, orates, osteal, ottars, outask, outgas, outsat, outsaw, pantos, pastor, pathos, patios, patois, postal, potash, quotas, ratios, roasts, rostra, sabots, santol, santos, sapota, sapote, sartor, satori, scotia, scrota, shoats, skatol, smalto, softas, solate, somata, sonant, sonata, stator, stoats, stomal, stomas, storax, stroma, taboos, tabors, talons, tangos, tarocs, taroks, tarots, taxons, toasts, toasty, todays, tokays, tolans, tolars, tomans, tongas, torahs, totals, troaks, tronas. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Names: Frequency 11. Names: Company Usage 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Translations: Ancient 16. Abbreviations | 17. Acronyms 18. Derivations 19. Rhymes 20. Anagrams | 21. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
