abbreviation
abbreviation
abbreviation
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occupational therapy
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occupational therapist
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Old Testament
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overtime
combining form
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
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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
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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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.