OT

¹ American  

1. occupational therapy.

2. off-topic.

3. Old Testament.

4. overnight telegram.

5. overtime.

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ot- ² American  

1. variant of oto- before a vowel.

   otalgia.

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o.t. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. overtime.

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O.T. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Old Testament.

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OT ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. occupational therapy

2. occupational therapist

3. Old Testament

4. overtime

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ot- ² British  

combining form

1. a variant of oto-

   otalgia

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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

The biggest shot of the night in OT.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 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

Yet that is not how the OT started.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

Chicago: OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State — Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times last season, and while those aren’t all attributable to his blockers, the Bears’ line is in need of help.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2025

"Oh, it's not a nice place, like this. This is a regular country club. Over there they've got nothing. No OT to talk of, no walks..."

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath