Ot"ter, n. Etym: [OE. oter, AS. Otor; akin to D. & G. otter, Icel. otr, Dan. odder, Sw. utter, Lith. udra, Russ, vuidra, Gr. udra otter, and also to E. water. Water, and cf. Hydra.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: Any carnivorous animal of the genus Lutra, and related genera. Several species are described. They have large, flattish heads, short ears, and webbed toes. They are aquatic, and feed on fish. Their fur is soft and valuable. The common otter of Europe is Lutra vulgaris; the American otter is L. Canadensis; other species inhabit South America and Asia.
2. (Zoöl.)
Definition: The larva of the ghost moth. It is very injurious to hop vines. Otter hound, Otter dog (Zoöl.), a small breed of hounds, used in England for hunting otters.
– Otter sheep. See Ancon sheep, under Ancon.
– Otter shell (Zoöl.), very large bivalve mollusk (Schizothærus Nuttallii) found on the northwest coast of America. It is excellent food, and is extensively used by the Indians.
– Sea otter. (Zoöl.) See in the Vocabulary.
Ot"ter, n.
Definition: A corruption of Annotto.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
14 April 2025
(noun) maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system; “in focus”; “out of focus”
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
