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oystercatcher any of several black and white shore birds having strong, reddish beaks with which they open and feed on bivalve mollusks such as oysters.
oyster crab a small crab that lives as a commensal inside the gill cavities of living oysters and clams.
oyster cracker a small round soda cracker, usu. eaten with oysters, stews, or soups.
oyster plant see "salsify."
oysters Rockefeller broiled oysters served on the half shell topped with spinach, bacon, seasonings, and cream sauce or butter.
oz. abbreviation of "ounce," or "ounces," a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound or 28.350 grams in the avoirdupois weight system, and equal to one twelfth of a pound or 31.1051 grams in the apothecaries' weight and the troy weight systems.
ozone oxygen in the form of molecules with three atoms, created by exposure of oxygen to electrical discharge or ultraviolet radiation, having a sharp smell, and being an effective oxidant for use in bleaching and sterilizing.
ozone depletion a steady decline in ozone in Earth's stratosphere, or a springtime decline in stratospheric ozone in Earth's polar regions. The primary cause of ozone depletion is man-made chemicals, particularly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
ozone hole an area in the ozone layer where the ozone becomes thin. There is a large ozone hole over Antarctica and a smaller one over the North Pole. Scientists warn us this is dangerous.
ozone layer an atmospheric layer between ten and twenty miles above the earth that contains a substantial concentration of ozone, which absorbs ultraviolet radiation from space and prevents some heat loss from the earth; ozonosphere.
ozonize to treat, combine, or saturate with ozone. [2 definitions]
ozonosphere see "ozone layer."
P1 abbreviation of "passing," completed successfully.
P2 symbol of the chemical element phosphorus.
P- in the U.S. military, a pursuit plane, such as a P-38 or P-40.
p the sixteenth letter of the English alphabet. [3 definitions]
p. abbreviation of "page," one side of a sheet of printed or written paper. [2 definitions]
PA1 abbreviation of "Pennsylvania," an eastern U.S. state south of New York.
Pa symbol of the chemical element protactinium.
PA2 abbreviation of "public address."
pa (informal) father; papa.