'oyster' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'ostrea', ultimately from Greek 'ostrakon' meaning 'shell'.

'oyster' changed from Latin 'ostrea' and Middle English forms such as 'oistre'/'oyster' and eventually became the modern English word 'oyster'.

Initially, it meant 'shell' or 'shellfish', but over time it evolved into its current meaning referring specifically to the edible bivalve mollusk (and by extension the mollusk that can produce pearls).