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  • OT
    OT
    occupational therapy.
  • ot-
    ot-
    variant of oto- before a vowel.
  • o.t.
    o.t.
    abbreviation
    overtime.
  • O.T.
    O.T.
    abbreviation
    Old Testament.

OT

1 American  
  1. occupational therapy.

  2. off-topic.

  3. Old Testament.

  4. overnight telegram.

  5. overtime.


ot- 2 American  
  1. variant of oto- before a vowel.

    otalgia.


o.t. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. overtime.


O.T. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. Old Testament.


OT 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. occupational therapy

  2. occupational therapist

  3. Old Testament

  4. overtime

"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

ot- 2 British  

combining form

  1. a variant of oto-

    otalgia

"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

Usage

What does ot- mean? Ot- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “ear.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology. Ot- comes from the Greek oûs, meaning “ear.” Related to the Greek oûs is English’s own word ear; so is the Latin word for ear, auris, which is the ultimate source of such words as aural. Learn more about oûs at our entry for otic, an adjective used in anatomy meaning “of or relating to the ear.”Ot- is a variant of oto-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use oto- article.

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.

See Examples For:

My job slashed OT and now I don’t think I can manage the bills.

From MarketWatch Apr. 16, 2026

He says that by adding Armis under its fold, ServiceNow could enhance asset visibility, security operations, risk management, and offer a scaled OT security solution to customers.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 16, 2025

Game 3 was a one-sided clunker, but Game 1, Game 2 and Game 4 all went to sudden-death OT —hockey’s equivalent of dangling you over a bridge by your shoelaces while laughing maniacally.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 13, 2025

But the Clippers played great defense and eventually Westbrook intended to put up the ball but could not get off a shot, sending the game into OT tied 98-98.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 19, 2025

"But the OT alone will be a nightmare."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

It isn’t all that hard to imagine a future in which an early member of “the O.T. family”—Zion, say, or Scottie Lewis—offers Marsach a cookie with real value, such as a free-agency scoop.

From The New Yorker Jun. 19, 2019

“It’s going to be a long O.T. for that opposing team.”

From Slate Feb. 23, 2019

Willis thought Francona said to “get O.T. up,” as in right-hander Dan Otero.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2018

Two former pastors still worship at First AME, the Rev. O.T.

From Washington Times Sep. 2, 2017

In other O.T. instances of its use it is, however, difficult to to see that the LXX made any attempt to reproduce the word-play, e.g.

From The Three Additions to Daniel, a Study by Daubney, William Heaford

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