Raft
collective noun /rɑːft/ — What you call a group of otters — they hold hands so they don't drift apart.
Definition
The collective noun for a group of sea otters floating together on the water's surface. Otters hold hands while sleeping so they don't drift apart — a raft of otters is one of nature's most endearing sights.
Beyond the definition
They hold hands. Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp to anchor themselves and then reach out and take the paw of the otter beside them so the current won't separate them in their sleep. A raft is not just a collective noun — it is a description of what love looks like in the animal kingdom.
Origin & history
From Old Norse raptr — a log. A raft is a flat floating platform, which is precisely what a group of sea otters forms on the water's surface — a living platform of warmth and connection.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
A raft of sea otters drifted along the kelp bed, most of them asleep and holding hands.
The raft had grown to forty otters since the conservation programme began.
She watched the raft for an hour, unable to leave something so quietly perfect.
Synonyms
group, bevy, romp, float
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Word in focus
A raft of otters
Sea otters floating close together on the water.
Here, “raft” names the whole gathering. Notice the animals together rather than looking for one individual with that name. The photograph illustrates the group; it is not evidence that this particular scene inspired the expression.
Image credit: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA · CC BY 2.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; displayed with a fitted crop.