wild oat

Variant of wild oats

wild oats definition

wild oats

  1. ☆ a woodland plant (Uvularia sessilifolia) of the lily family, with small, drooping, yellowish flowers, native to E North America
  2. any of several wild grasses (genus Avena); esp., the wild progenitor (A. fatua) of the cultivated oat, having strong, twisted awns and commonly occurring as a weed, esp. in the W U.S.
    also wild oat
wild oats Idioms

sow one's wild oats

to be promiscuous or dissolute in one's youth before settling down

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.