oasises

Noun

oasis (plural oases or (rare, sometimes proscribed) oasises)

1. A spring of fresh water, surrounded by a fertile region of vegetation, in a desert.
   • It was the Lost Oasis, the Oasis of the vision in the sand. […] Deep-hidden in the hollow, beneath the cliffs, it lay; and round it the happy verdure spread for many a rood. […] Yes, the quest was ended, the Lost Oasis was the Found!1892, James Yoxall, chapter 7, in The Lonely Pyramid

   Synonyms:

   island, refuge

2. (figuratively) A quiet, peaceful place or situation separated from surrounding noise or bustle.
   • The park was an oasis in the middle of the busy city.
3. (figuratively) A place or situation of fruitfulness or abundance separated from surrounding barrenness or scarcity.
   • [T]here is no true American music but the wild sweet melodies of the Negro slave; the American fairy tales and folklore are Indian and African; and, all in all, we black men seem the sole oasis of simple faith and reverence in a dusty desert of dollars and smartness.1903 April 18, W[illiam] E[dward] Burghardt Du Bois, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings”, in The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., →OCLC, pages...

See all 5 meanings of oasis