over-the-counter

See also: over the counter

English

Alternative forms

• over the counter

Etymology

Attributive form of over the counter.

Adjective

over-the-counter (not comparable)

1. (pharmacology, of medicine and other treatments) Legal for sale or distribution without the requirement of a prescription.

   Synonym: OTC

   over-the-counter drug, over-the-counter medicine

2. (finance) Involving direct interaction between two parties without an intermediary, and denoting any market where items such as stocks or currency are bought and sold by direct arrangement between counterparties, or through a private broker, rather than on a public stock exchange or other exchange.

   Synonym: OTC

   over-the-counter trade, over-the-counter market

   • 1908, The Standard, volume 62, page 553:

     This is "commencement week" in "over-the-counter insurance" circles, the Whitman, Mass., savings bank having opened the ball with four applications made for $300 each by three prominent business men […]

Translations

pharmacy: not requiring a prescription

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: de venda lliure
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非處方的 / 非处方的 (fēi chǔfāng de), OTC

• Czech: volně prodejný
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: reseptivapaa (fi)
• French: en vente libre
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: rezeptfrei (de)
• Hungarian: vény nélkül kapható, nem vényköteles
• Icelandic: lausasala, ólyfseðilsskyldur
• Italian: da banco
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: dostępny bez recepty
• Romanian: fără rețetă, cu vânzare liberă
• Russian: без реце́пта (ru) (bez recépta), безрецепту́рный (ru) (bezreceptúrnyj)
• Spanish: sin receta, de venta libre, de venta directa
• Swedish: receptfri (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: reçetesiz (tr)
• Vietnamese: không kê đơn

involving direct interaction between two parties without an intermediary

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 場外 / 场外 (zh) (chǎngwài, chángwài)

• Finnish: suora- (fi)
• French: de gré à gré (fr)
• Romanian: extrabursier m
• Spanish: extrabursátil