*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of oto-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Ancient Greek οὖς (oûs) Ancient Greek ὠτ- (ōt-)der. English ot- Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- English o

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

Alternative form of ot- (“ear”)

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Ancient Greek οὖς (oûs) Ancient Greek ὠτ- (ōt-)der. English ot- Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- English oto- From ot- + -o-.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ot-",
        "4": "-o-<id:connective>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ew-\nProto-Indo-European *-s\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws\nAncient Greek οὖς (oûs)\nAncient Greek ὠτ- (ōt-)der.\nEnglish ot-\nAncient Greek -ο- (-o-)der.\nLatin -o-bor.\nEnglish -o-\nEnglish oto-\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"ὠτ-\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"perceive\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ew-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"lengthened acrostatic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-s\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ṓws\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"οὖς\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ot-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"connective\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"connective\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"connective\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ο-\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-o-\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-o-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"oto-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"oto-\">\nFrom ot- + -o-."
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ot-",
        "4": "-o-<id:connective>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ew-\nProto-Indo-European *-s\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws\nAncient Greek οὖς (oûs)\nAncient Greek ὠτ- (ōt-)der.\nEnglish ot-\nAncient Greek -ο- (-o-)der.\nLatin -o-bor.\nEnglish -o-\nEnglish oto-\nFrom ot- + -o-."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂ew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ew-#Proto-Indo-European:_perceive"
    ],
    [
      "*-s",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-s#Proto-Indo-European:_lengthened_acrostatic"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂ṓws",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ṓws"
    ],
    [
      "οὖς",
      "οὖς#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ot-",
      "ot-#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ο-",
      "-ο-#Ancient_Greek:_connective"
    ],
    [
      "-o-",
      "-o-#Latin:_connective"
    ],
    [
      "-o-",
      "-o-#English:_connective"
    ],
    [
      "ot-",
      "ot-#English"
    ],
    [
      "-o-",
      "-o-#English:_connective"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of ot- (“ear”)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "c4508c63cfa65fe4e8cf480fa973c2212da98600072dfb1755a9630cb87bb331",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7029a45100ec12825f9bd802f6b2ad4f5fb206a34c5b0e9f1ee6cadea325ac1e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2169609
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for oto- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-b3RvLQ