oasis
oasis — noun
1. a small spot in a desert with enough underground water for trees, crops, and som
a small spot in a desert with enough underground water for trees, crops, and sometimes a small settlement to survive.
After three days on camelback, the travellers reached a small oasis with date palms and a clear pool.
an oasis with [trees / water]
The Sahara has scattered oases where Berber families have farmed wheat for centuries.
plural form: oases
Caravans once stopped at this oasis to refill water bags before crossing the dunes.
From the plane, the green oasis stood out like a stamp against the orange sand.
The village of Siwa is one of Egypt's most famous oases, fed by springs deep below the rock.
- spring
any water source; doesn't imply a desert setting
- watering hole
any pool where animals or travellers drink; broader than oasis
- wasteland
barren land with no water or growth
文法句型
an oasis in [a desert / region]
用法筆記
The plural is 'oases' (pronounced /əʊˈeɪsiːz/), not 'oasises'. Often paired with 'in the desert' or a named region (the Sahara, Gobi, Arabian Peninsula).
常見錯誤
2. a place, moment, or thing that feels calm and welcome because everything around
a place, moment, or thing that feels calm and welcome because everything around it is noisy, stressful, or unpleasant — for example, a quiet garden in a busy city, or a relaxed afternoon in a hectic week.
The hotel courtyard is an oasis of calm in the middle of downtown Tokyo.
an oasis of calm in [busy place]
For Marcus, Sunday morning at the kitchen table is an oasis of quiet before the kids wake up.
an oasis of quiet (a calm period of time)
The small park near the station is a green oasis amid concrete office towers.
The library felt like an oasis of peace after a noisy bus ride home.
Aunt Rosa's farmhouse was an oasis of sanity during the family's chaotic move to Berlin.
- madhouse
informal: a chaotic, noisy place
文法句型
an oasis of [calm / peace / quiet] in/amid [something hectic]
用法筆記
Almost always 'an oasis of + [abstract noun]' (calm, peace, quiet, sanity, green) or 'an oasis in/amid + [something hectic or unpleasant]'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is figurative and the surrounding 'desert' is metaphorical (noise, stress, ugliness), not literal sand.