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.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Raft” when the meaning fits your context: 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.
Synonyms
group, bevy, romp, float
Related words
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
A kayaker on the Sacramento River came around a bend and found herself in the middle of them: perhaps a hundred river otters resting together on the surface, floating in a loose group, most of them asleep.
She stopped paddling and let the current carry her through them slowly. The otters adjusted their positions without waking. One opened an eye, assessed the kayak, and closed it again.
A raft of otters — named, presumably, for exactly this: the way they sleep together on the water, each one holding the surface, the group held together by proximity and the slow current.
Questions about this word
What does "Raft" mean?
Raft is collective noun meaning: What you call a group of otters — they hold hands so they don't drift apart.. 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.
Where does the word "Raft" come from?
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.