Oat definition
The wild red oat is thought to be the ancestor of modern food oats.
- to be in high spirits; be frisky
- to feel and act important
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of oat
- Middle English ote from Old English āte
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Middle English ote, from Old English āte, from Proto-Germanic *aitÇ (“swelling"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eid- (“to swell"). For sense development, compare Ancient Greek oídax 'unripe fig' from oîdos 'swelling, tumor'.
From Wiktionary