cotter
1 Americannoun
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a pin, wedge, key, or the like, fitted or driven into an opening to secure something or hold parts together.
verb (used with object)
noun
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any part, such as a pin, wedge, key, etc, that is used to secure two other parts so that relative motion between them is prevented
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short for cotter pin
verb
noun
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Also called: cottier. English history a villein in late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman times occupying a cottage and land in return for labour
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Also called: cottar. a peasant occupying a cottage and land in the Scottish Highlands under the same tenure as an Irish cottier
Etymology
Origin of cotter1
1300–50; Middle English coter; akin to late Middle English coterell iron bracket; of uncertain origin
Origin of cotter2
1175–1225; Middle English cotere < Anglo-French cot ( i ) er; see cot 2, -er 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the Mikawa mine on southern Kyushu island, a cotter pin apparently fell out of a coupling on a string of coal cars halted on a slight incline.
From Time Magazine Archive
But before you break out the wrench and cotter pins, it helps to go over some propeller basics to find a good starting point.
From Time Magazine Archive
Theirs is a world in which every boy matures to master small motors, to understand the importance of the cotter pin.
From Time Magazine Archive
Release the cotter pin from the spindle nut, then remove the nut and washer, and the entire hub should slip off the axle.
From Time Magazine Archive
Maybe it was carelessness; but there would have been trouble when the cotter shook out if Walthew hadna' heard her knocking.
From The Coast of Adventure by Harold Bindloss
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
