otter
UK /ˈɒtə/ · US /ˈɑtɚ/ noun, proper noun
Also a form of attar
Forms otters
- noun An aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae.
- noun (uncountable) The flesh or fur of this animal
- noun (gay slang) A hairy man with a slender physique, in contrast with a bear, who is more thickset.
- noun (obsolete) annatto (dye)
- proper noun A river with its source in the Blackdown Hills, Somerset, and which flows through Devon, to Lyme Bay in the English Channel.
Etymology
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.
Corruption of annotto.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any carnivorous animal of the genus Lutra, and related genera.
- noun The larva of the ghost moth. It is very injurious to hop vines.
- noun A corruption of Annotto.
Etymology [OE. oter, AS. Otor; akin to D. & G. otter, Icel. otr, Dan. odder, Sw. utter, Lith. udra, Russ, vuidra, Gr. udra otter, and also to E. water. Water, and cf. Hydra.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “otter”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details