cotter
UK /kɒtə/ · US /kɑtɚ/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms cotters cottering cottered cottar Cottier
- noun (mechanical engineering) A pin or wedge inserted through a slot to hold machine parts together.
- noun (informal) A cotter pin.
- verb (transitive) To fasten with a cotter.
- noun (historical) A peasant who performed labour in exchange for the right to live in a cottage.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A minor city in Baxter County, Arkansas, United States.
- proper noun A minor city in Louisa County, Iowa, United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
Unknown.
From Middle English cotter, cotere, kottere, koter, cotier, equivalent to cot (“cottage”) + -er, from Old English cot. Compare Old French coter, cotier.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A cottager; a cottier. Burns.
- noun A piece of wood or metal, commonly wedge-shaped, used for fastening together parts of a machine or structure. It is driven into an opening through one or all of the parts.
- noun A toggle.
- verb To fasten with a cotter.
Etymology [LL. cotarius, cottarius, coterius. See Cot.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cotter”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details