otter
1 Americannoun
plural
otters,plural
otter-
any of several aquatic, furbearing, weasellike mammals of the genus Lutra and related genera, having webbed feet and a long, slightly flattened tail.
-
the fur of an otter.
noun
noun
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any freshwater carnivorous musteline mammal of the subfamily Lutrinae, esp Lutra lutra ( Eurasian otter ), typically having smooth fur, a streamlined body, and webbed feet
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the fur of any of these animals
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Also called: otter board. a type of fishing tackle consisting of a weighted board to which hooked and baited lines are attached
verb
Etymology
Origin of otter
before 900; Middle English otter, oter, Old English otor, ottor; cognate with Dutch, German otter; compare Greek hýdra water serpent ( hydra ), Sanskrit udra- otter; akin to water
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What was viewed as merely eccentric in 1956, when Gavin Maxwell brought an otter back from the Tigris marshes, would now be seen as unethical, not to mention illegal.
Karen was then left trying to work out how to look after the cubs, while frantically searching online for information on the otters.
From BBC
It has led to the deaths of more than 400 million poultry worldwide and has infected dairy cows, mink, foxes, bears, otters, and many other mammals and wild birds.
From Science Daily
The creature writhed in protest, slippery as an otter, but did not bite.
From Literature
Sea otters, now classified as an endangered species, once thrived along the Pacific Coast before the fur trade during westward colonial expansion drastically reduced their numbers.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
