oasis

plural oases · plural proscribed rare sometimes oasises

1. A spring of fresh water, surrounded by a fertile region of vegetation, in a desert.

   It was now a beautiful, moonlit night. The air was crisp and invigorating. Behind them lay the interminable vista of the desert, dotted here and there with an occasional oasis.

   1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Through the Valley of the Shadow”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 137

   2 more examples

   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

   On the edge of the dunes lies the oasis town of Dunhuang, a key strategic crossroads on the Silk Road as the routes divided to the west to skirt the Taklamakan to the north and south.

   2015, Michael Welland, “Barriers and Corridors, Imports and Exports”, in The Desert: Lands of Lost Borders, Reaktion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 317

   Synonyms: island, refuge

2. figurativelyA quiet, peaceful place or situation separated from surrounding noise or bustle.

   The park was an oasis in the middle of the busy city.

3. figurativelyA 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 11–12

   1 more example

   I have tried to find friends like me […] but have failed to form even one prolonged relationship. Only a few of them could understand how I felt and a couple of them allowed me to express my love as intimately and vigorously as I wanted to. But for these two oases, I have lived all these years in an emotional void.

   1980 August 9, anonymous author, “Inside Burning”, in Gay Community News, page 4

1. abbreviationacronymcomputingAcronym of Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards.

1. A census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States.
2. A census-designated place in Elko County, Nevada, United States.