Meaning & use
Otto
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Meanings
proper nounproper
A male given name of German origin, borne by several medieval emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.
Grammar: Capitalized, like any given name, and used without an article.
Patterns
- Otto the Great
Otto was crowned emperor in Rome in 962.
My grandfather's name was Otto, after his uncle in Berlin.
The class studied Otto the Great in history.
noununcountableold-fashionedrare
An alternative spelling of attar, a fragrant oil made from the petals of flowers, especially roses.
Grammar: Usually written in lowercase in this sense, as in otto of roses, and it is rare today.
Patterns
- otto of roses
The perfumer sold a small bottle of otto of roses.
Otto of roses was prized for its sweet, lasting fragrance.
Common combinations
- Otto the Great
- Otto the Great defeated the Magyars in 955.
- Otto von Bismarck
- Otto von Bismarck united Germany in 1871.
- otto of roses
- The soap was scented with otto of roses.
- Holy Roman Emperor Otto
- Holy Roman Emperor Otto ruled over lands in central Europe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- attar
- Attar is the more common spelling of the rose oil, while otto is an older variant now rarely seen.
Word family
Commonly confused: Otto or ottoman?
Otto vs ottoman
An ottoman is a padded seat or footstool, and the Ottoman Empire was a Turkish state. Neither comes from the German name Otto.
Practice
In the phrase otto of roses, otto refers to ___.
Choose one answer.
Otto here is a spelling of attar, a perfume oil. The German king is the personal name Otto, which is used differently.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Otto”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.