| 1. | not transacted through an organized securities exchange; directly to the buyer or from the seller: He sold his stocks over the counter. |
| 2. | Pharmacology. without a doctor's prescription but within the law. |
[oh-ver-thuh-koun-ter] 
| 1. | unlisted on or not part of an organized securities exchange: over-the-counter stocks; the over-the-counter market. Abbreviation: OTC |
| 2. | Pharmacology. sold legally without a doctor's prescription: over-the-counter drugs. Abbreviation: OTC |
[koun-ter] | 1. | a table or display case on which goods can be shown, business transacted, etc. |
| 2. | (in restaurants, luncheonettes, etc.) a long, narrow table with stools or chairs along one side for the patrons, behind which refreshments or meals are prepared and served. |
| 3. | a surface for the preparation of food in a kitchen, esp. on a low cabinet. |
| 4. | anything used in keeping account, as a disk of metal or wood, used in some games, as checkers, for marking a player's position or for keeping score. |
| 5. | an imitation coin or token. |
| 6. | a coin; money. |
| 7. | over the counter,
|
| 8. | under the counter, in a clandestine manner, esp. illegally: books sold under the counter. |
| count·er 2 (koun'tər) n.
[Middle English countour, from Anglo-Norman counteour, from Medieval Latin computātōrium, countinghouse, from Latin computāre, to calculate; see count1.] |
counter count·er (koun'tər)
n.
One that counts, especially an electronic or mechanical device that automatically counts occurrences or repetitions of phenomena or events.
over-the-counter o·ver-the-count·er (ō'vər-&phonth;ə-koun'tər)
adj.
Abbr. OTC
That can be sold legally without a doctor's prescription.
