ər noun
1.
a pin, wedge, key, or the like, fitted or driven into an opening to secure something or hold parts together.
2.
verb (used with object)
3.
to secure with a cotter.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English coter; akin to late Middle English coterell iron bracket; of uncertain origin
1300–50; Middle English coter; akin to late Middle English coterell iron bracket; of uncertain origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cotter
00:10
Cotter
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
cotter1 (ˈkɒtə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any part, such as a pin, wedge, key, etc, that is used to secure two other parts so that relative motion between them is prevented |
| 2. | short for cotter pin |
| —vb | |
| 3. | (tr) to secure (two parts) with a cotter |
| [C14: shortened from cotterel, of unknown origin] | |
| cotter2 (ˈkɒtə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | English history Also called: cottier a villein in late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman times occupying a cottage and land in return for labour |
| 2. | Also called: cottar a peasant occupying a cottage and land in the Scottish Highlands under the same tenure as an Irish cottier |
| [C14: from Medieval Latin cotārius, from Middle English cote | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cotter
1640s, perhaps a shortened form of cotterel, a dial. word for "cotter pin or bolt, bracket to hang a pot over a fire" (1570), itself of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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