otter

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɒt.ə/
• (General American) enPR: ŏtʹər, IPA^(key): /ˈɑtɚ/, [(ʔ)ɑɾɚ]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Homophone: odder (US)
• Rhymes: -ɒtə(ɹ)

From Middle English oter, otir, otur, otyre, from Old English otor, from Proto-West Germanic *otr, from Proto-Germanic *utraz, from Proto-Indo-European *udrós (“aquatic, water-animal”), from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“water”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Otter, Dutch otter, German Otter, Swedish utter, Norwegian oter, Icelandic otur, Sanskrit उद्र (udrá), Russian вы́дра (výdra), and Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra, “water snake”). Doublet of Hydra and hydra. More etymology under English water.

otter (countable and uncountable, plural otters or otter)^[1]

2. An aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae.
   1. (uncountable) The flesh or fur of this animal
      • 1960, Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Puffin Books, page 11:

        'The Aleuts come from a country far to the north,' he said. 'Their ways are not ours nor is their language. They have come to take otter and to give us our share in many goods which they have and which we can use.

3. (gay slang) A hairy man with a slender physique, in contrast with a bear, who is more thickset.

Corruption of annotto.

otter (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) annatto (dye)

otter (uncountable)

1. Archaic form of attar.
   • 1809, William Jones, A Grammar of the Persian Language, page 8:

     […] the precious perfume called otter of roses.

• “otter”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

• toter, Treto, toret, torte, Ortet, Tetro, ortet, ETRTO

• 8'er

From otte (“eight”) +‎ -er.

otter c (singular definite otteren, plural indefinite ottere)

1. eight (the card rank between seven and nine)
2. eight (person or thing that is number eight in a system, e.g.bus #8)
3. (sports, rowing) eight

• “otter” in Den Danske Ordbog

From Middle Dutch otter, from Old Dutch *ottar, from Proto-West Germanic *otr.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.tər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ot‧ter
• Rhymes: -ɔtər

otter m (plural otters, diminutive ottertje n)

1. Any otter.
2. (particularly) European otter, Lutra lutra

   Synonym: visotter

• Berbice Creole Dutch: otro

• otter on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

From Old Dutch *ottar, from Proto-West Germanic *otr.

otter m

1. otter, European otter

• Dutch: otter
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: otro
• Limburgish: ódder

• “otter”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “otter”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

otter

1. alternative form of oter