over-the-counter

¹

[oh-ver-thuh-koun-ter]

adjective

1. unlisted on or not part of an organized securities exchange: OTC

   over-the-counter stocks; the over-the-counter market.

2. Pharmacology.,  sold legally without a doctor's prescription: OTC

   over-the-counter drugs.

over the counter

²

adverb

1. not transacted through an organized securities exchange; directly to the buyer or from the seller.

   He sold his stocks over the counter.

2. Pharmacology.,  without a doctor's prescription but within the law.

over-the-counter

adjective

1. 1. (of securities) not listed or quoted on a stock exchange

   2. (of a security market) dealing in such securities

   3. (of security transactions) conducted through a broker's office directly between purchaser and seller and not on a stock exchange

2. OTC. (of medicinal drugs) able to be sold without a prescription Compare ortho-

Word History and Origins

Origin of over-the-counter¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of over-the-counter²

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

It is even slow when it comes to women's reproductive health: only this week was it announced that the "morning after" pill - a form of emergency contraception available without prescription in more than 90 countries - had finally been approved for over the counter use in Japan.

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Because nicotinamide is available over the counter, its use is rarely documented in medical records.

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Three more deaths in Los Angeles County have been linked to kratom, a compound that is being synthetically reproduced and sold over the counter as a cure-all for a host of ailments, the county Department of Public Health announced on Friday.

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Each time regulators promise reform, contaminated syrups reappear - reflecting a fragmented drug market and, critics allege, a weak regulatory system struggling to oversee hundreds of low-cost, often unapproved syrups produced by smaller manufacturers and sold over the counter.

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People with original paper bonds such as those purchased over the counter at the Post Office can register them online or call the helpline on 08085 007 007.

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