Oto

¹ American  

[oh-toh] / ˈoʊ toʊ /

Or Otoe

noun

plural

Otos,

plural

Oto

1. a member of a Siouan-speaking tribe of North American Indians who formerly inhabited the lower Missouri River basin and now live in Oklahoma.

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oto- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “ear,” used in the formation of compound words.

   otology.

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oto- British  

combining form

1. indicating the ear

   otitis

   otolith

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Usage

What does oto- mean? Oto- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “ear.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology. Oto- 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.”What are variants of oto-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, oto- becomes ot-, as in otitis.

Etymology

Origin of oto-

< Greek ōto-, combining form of oûs ear ¹

Example Sentences

Fort Calhoun traces its roots to a meeting between explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Oto and Missouri tribes in August 1804 — 63 years before Nebraska became a state.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2023

In a different movie, the answer would become clear in an eruption of melodramatic fireworks; instead, Kafuku slips out unnoticed and doesn’t tell Oto what he’s seen — not using words, anyway.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2021

In addition, there are many narrative threads that emphasize the power of storytelling, from an idea Oto is creating for television, to multiple productions of "Uncle Vanya," to Misaki's tales about her late mother.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2021

Last month she settled in for a few days at Café Oto in London, working with English partners including the pianist Alexander Hawkins, the trumpeter Byron Wallen and the electronics artist Leafcutter John.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2016

Big Kaw, an Oto Indian, 117 Big Knives, Kansa name for the whites, 89 Big Track, an Osage chief, 98 Birch bark structures, 9-13 See Bark-covered lodges.

From Villages of the Algonquian, Siouan, and Caddoan Tribes West of the Mississippi by Bushnell, David Ives