Meaning & use
otter
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Meanings
nouncountable
A water-loving mammal with thick brown fur, a long slim body, short legs, and feet adapted for swimming.
Grammar: Countable; use 'an otter' for one, 'otters' for more than one.
Patterns
- a river otter
- a sea otter
- an otter swims
We watched an otter slide down the muddy bank into the river.
Sea otters often float on their backs and crack open shellfish with stones.
The zoo's new otter pup was born in the spring and is already learning to swim.
noununcountableold-fashioned
The thick brown fur of this animal, used in the past to make warm clothing.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the material; say 'a coat made of otter' not 'an otter coat'.
Patterns
- made of otter
- an otter coat
In the nineteenth century, hats and collars were sometimes trimmed with otter.
The museum displays a jacket lined with otter to show how warm it was.
Word forms
| plural | otters |
|---|
Common combinations
- river otter
- A river otter has webbed feet and can stay underwater for several minutes.
- sea otter
- The sea otter population along the coast has slowly recovered.
- otter habitat
- Pollution is damaging the otter's habitat in many wetlands.
- otter holt
- Conservationists built an artificial otter holt near the lake.
- playful otter
- The playful otter kept diving and splashing in the pool.
- otter fur
- Otter fur is extremely dense and keeps the animal dry in cold water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mustelid
- A technical term for the whole family that includes otters, weasels, and badgers; it is broader and more formal.
- lutra
- The Latin scientific name for the Eurasian otter genus, used only in scientific writing.
Word family
- otter-like adjective
- Resembling an otter in appearance or movement.
Commonly confused: otter or otter?
otter vs otter
Not to be confused with 'otter' the animal and 'utter' meaning complete or total, which sounds similar in some accents.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'otter' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Otters are water mammals that swim and eat fish, so sentence B fits. Sentence A describes a bird or squirrel, C describes a dog, and D describes a bird, none of which are otters.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “otter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.