 Windowpane oysters are harvested for their translucent shells, which are used to make various kinds of decorative objects.The word "oyster" comes from Old French "oistre", and first appeared in English during the 14th century.The French derived from the Latin "ostrea", the feminine form of "ostreum", which is the latinisation of the Greek ὄστρεον ("ostreon"), "oyster".