cotter

cotter

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɒtə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

Unknown

Noun

cotter (plural cotters)

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

Cotter (C on diagram)

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.

Related terms

• cotter pin

Translations

pin to hold parts together

Bulgarian: щифт (bg) m (štift), шпонка (bg) f (šponka) Finnish: tappi (fi) Russian: клин (ru) m (klin), чека́ (ru) f (čeká), шпо́нка (ru) f (špónka), суха́рь (ru) m (suxárʹ)

cotter pin

Finnish: sokka (fi) Hungarian: sasszeg

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To fasten with a cotter.

Etymology 2

From Middle English cotter, cotere, kottere, koter, cotier, equivalent to cot (“cottage”) +‎ -er, from Old English cot. Compare Old French coter, cotier.

Alternative forms

• cottar

Noun

cotter (plural cotters)

1. (historical) A peasant who performed labour in exchange for the right to live in a cottage.
   • 1786, Robert Burns, The Cotter's Saturday Night:

     The toil-worn Cotter frae his labour goes,— / This night his weekly moil is at an end,— / Collects his spades, his mattocks, and his hoes, […]

Synonyms

• coscet
• cottager

Translations

peasant

Belarusian: батра́к m (batrák) Bulgarian: ратай (bg) m (rataj) Dutch: keuterboer (nl) m Finnish: mäkitupalainen (fi), torppari (fi) Russian: батра́к (ru) m (batrák) Ukrainian: батра́к (uk) m (batrák)