cottier

British

/ ˈkɒtɪə /

noun

another name for cotter 2
(in Ireland) a peasant farming a smallholding under cottier tenure (the holding of not more than half an acre at a rent of not more than five pounds a year)
another name for cottager

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cottier

C14: from Old French cotier; see _cote ¹ , _coterie

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.

Great Britain operated Ireland under a “cottage” or “cottier” system.

From Scientific American

A villein who rendered menial service for his cottage; a cottier.

From Project Gutenberg

Only some of the cottiers are said to hold in villainage.

From Project Gutenberg

Our poet Spenser, writing nearly three centuries ago upon the miseries of Ireland, describes the cottiers as inhabiting "swine-sties rather than houses."

From Project Gutenberg

Poor Maurice, whose heart could never stand the slightest wrong done the humblest cottier on his land, how will he bear up now?

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023