COTTER

cotter, cottar

(noun) fastener consisting of a wedge or pin inserted through a slot to hold two other pieces together

cotter, cottier

(noun) a medieval English villein

cotter, cottar

(noun) a peasant farmer in the Scottish Highlands

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Proper noun

Cotter (plural Cotters)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Cotter is the 3010^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 11904 individuals. Cotter is most common among White (94.52%) individuals.

Etymology 1

Noun

cotter (plural cotters)

(mechanical engineering) A pin or wedge inserted through a slot to hold machine parts together.

(informal) A cotter pin.

Usage notes

The terms cotter and cotter pin are sometimes used interchangeably, although they have different functions. For a more detailed explanation see Wikipedia articles on cotter pin, cotter (pin), and split pin.

Verb

cotter (third-person singular simple present cotters, present participle cottering, simple past and past participle cottered)

(transitive) To fasten with a cotter.

Etymology 2

Noun

cotter (plural cotters)

(historical) A peasant who performed labour in exchange for the right to live in a cottage.

Synonyms

• coscet

• cottager

Source: Wiktionary

Cot"ter, Cot"tar (kt"tr), n. Etym: [LL. cotarius, cottarius, coterius. See Cot.]

Definition: A cottager; a cottier. Burns. Through Sandwich Notch the West Wind sang Good morrow to the cotter. Whittier.

Cot"ter (kt"tr), n.

1. A piece of wood or metal, commonly wedge-shaped, used for fastening together parts of a machine or structure. It is driven into an opening through one or all of the parts.

Note: [See Illust.] In the United States a cotter is commonly called a key.

2. A toggle.

Cot"ter, v. t.

Definition: To fasten with a cotter.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition