oscar
oscar Lexical Profile
oscar Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(Capitalized) A golden statuette awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievement in the film industry.
"The acclaimed director finally won his first Oscar after decades of producing brilliant cinematic masterpieces."
A large, aggressive, and highly intelligent freshwater cichlid fish native to the Amazon basin in South America, popular in the aquarium trade.
"We had to buy a much larger tank because our oscar grew rapidly and started eating the smaller fish."
(Capitalized) The code word representing the letter 'O' in the NATO phonetic alphabet, used in radio communications.
"The pilot confirmed his call sign, ending with the letters November, Oscar, and Romeo."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the Academy Award or the NATO phonetic alphabet, the word is strictly capitalized as 'Oscar', whereas it is typically lowercased when referring to the South American cichlid fish.
• Rhymes for oscar
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The term for the Academy Award allegedly originated in 1931 when Academy librarian Margaret Herrick remarked that the statuette looked like her 'Uncle Oscar'. It was officially adopted by the Academy in 1939. In international radio communications, it was chosen as a recognizable proper name starting with 'O'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.