otter

noun

ot·​ter ˈä-tər 

plural otters also otter

1

: any of various largely aquatic carnivorous mammals (such as genus Lutra or Enhydra) of the weasel family that usually have webbed and clawed feet and dark brown fur

2

: the fur or pelt of an otter

Illustration of otter

• otter 1

Examples of otter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Decades ago, rangers and local volunteers transformed this area—once a junkyard—into a healthy 70-acre marsh with beavers, otters, turtles, and numerous avian species. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025

Stretches of glass windows offer sweeping views of Lake Pend Orielle, which is especially scenic at sunset or when the lake teems with wildlife like otters and ducks in the summer months between May and September. —Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 25 Nov. 2025

Some animals on the endangered species list include cheetahs, lemurs, marine otters, black rhinoceroses, blue whales, polar bears, and several others. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 20 Nov. 2025

This Indiana endangered species goes by some not so attractive nicknames like snot otter, lasagna lizard and Alleghany alligator, but the most common name used to denote Indiana’s largest salamander conjures a more demonic air. —Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 12 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English otre, oter, otir, going back to Old English otr, oter, otor, going back to Germanic *utra- (whence also Middle Dutch otter "otter," Old High German ottar, Old Norse otr), going back to Indo-European *ud-r-o- "aquatic animal" (whence also Sanskrit udráḥ "aquatic animal, otter," Avestan udra-) with a feminine variant *ud-r-eh₂-, whence Latin lutra "otter" (with unetymological l- and -t-), Russian výdra, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian vȉdra, Lithuanian ū́dra, Old Prussian udro (Balto-Slavic with vowel lengthening and acute accent), Greek hýdra "aquatic snake, hydra" (also hýdros "the grass snake Natrix natrix," énydris "otter"); both forms zero-grade derivatives of Indo-European *u̯ód-r-/*u̯ed-n- "water" — more at water entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing otter

• river otter
• sea otter

Rhymes for otter

• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• mater
• plotter
• rotter
• slaughter
• spotter
• squatter
• totter
• trotter

Kids Definition

otter

noun

ot·​ter ˈät-ər 

plural otter or otters

1

: any of several water-dwelling mammals that are related to the weasels and minks, have webbed feet with claws and dark brown fur, and feed on other animals (as fish, clams, and crabs) that live in or near the water compare sea otter

2

: the fur or pelt of an otter