cotter Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a peasant farmer in the Scottish Highlands
    cottar.
  2. noun a medieval English villein
    cottier.
  3. noun fastener consisting of a wedge or pin inserted through a slot to hold two other pieces together
    cottar.

WordNet

Cot"ter, Cot"tar noun (Also<
  • Cotter
  • Cottar
)
Etymology
LL. cotarius, cottarius, coterius. See Cot.
Definitions
  1. A cottager; a cottier. Burns.
    Through Sandwich Notch the West Wind sang Good morrow to the cotter. Whittier.
Cot"ter noun
Definitions
  1. A piece of wood or metal, commonly wedge-shaped, used for fastening together parts of a machine or structure. It is driven into an opening through one or all of the parts. See Illust. In the United States a cotter is commonly called a key.
  2. A toggle.
Cot"ter transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To fasten with a cotter.

Webster 1913