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otter

[ot-er]

Origin

noun, plural ot·ters, (especially collectively) ot·ter.

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.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English otter, oter, Old English otor, ottor; cognate with Dutch, German otter; compare Greek hýdra water serpent (see hydra), Sanskrit udra- otter; akin to water

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

(in the Volsunga Saga) a son of Hreidmar, who assumed the form of an otter when fishing, and who was killed by Loki while in that form.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

otter (ˈɒtə)

—n , pl -ters, -ter
1.	any freshwater carnivorous musteline mammal of the subfamily Lutrinae, esp Lutra lutra (Eurasian otter), typically having smooth fur, a streamlined body, and webbed feet
2.	the fur of any of these animals
3.	Also called: otter board a type of fishing tackle consisting of a weighted board to which hooked and baited lines are attached

—vb
4.	to fish using an otter

[Old English otor; related to Old Norse otr, Old High German ottar, Greek hudra, Sanskrit udra]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

otter

O.E. otr, otor, from P.Gmc. *utraz (cf. O.N. otr, Swed. utter, Dan. odder, Du. otter, Ger. Otter), from PIE *udros, lit. "water-creature" (cf. Skt. udrah, Avestan udra "otter;" Gk. hydra "water-serpent," enydris "otter;" L. lutra, O.C.S. vydra, Lith. udra, O.Ir. odoirne "otter"), from root *udr- "water."

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Matching Quote

"The Indian from time to time pointed out to us where he had thus crept along day after day when he was a boy of ten, and in a starving condition. He had been hunting far north of this with two grown Indians. The winter came on unexpectedly early, and the ice compelled them to leave their canoe at Grand Lake, and walk down the bank. They shouldered their furs and started for Oldtown. The snow was not deep enough for snowshoes, or to cover the inequalities of the ground. Polis was soon too weak to carry any burden; but he managed to catch one otter. This was the most they all had to eat on this journey.... For six months after getting home, he was very low, and did not expect to live, and was perhaps always the worse for it."

-Henry David Thoreau

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Ot·ter