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Webster 1913 Edition


Cotter

Cot′ter

(kŏt′tẽr)
,
Noun.
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.
[See Illust.]
In the United States a cotter is commonly called a
key
.
2.
A toggle.

Cot′ter

,
Verb.
T.
To fasten with a cotter.

Webster 1828 Edition


Cotter

COTTER

, COTTAR or COTTIER,
Noun.
A cottager.

Definition 2024


cotter

cotter

English

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.
Usage notes

The terms cotter and "cotter pin" are sometimes used interchangeably, although they have different functions. Basically a cotter holds parts together and a "cotter pin" holds the cotter in its place. For a more detailed explanation see Wikipedia articles on cotter and cotter pin.

Translations
Related terms

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

Equivalent to cot (cottage) + -er, from Old English cot.

Alternative forms

Noun

cotter (plural cotters)

  1. A peasant who performed labour in exchange for the right to live in a cottage.
Synonyms
Translations