Meaning
What does OTW mean?
OTW is a popular online acronym, signifying several phrases.
In most cases, “OTW” is used for writing “On the Way” similar to the OMW acronym.
It may also be a shortened form of the word “otherwise” or a reference to the blog site “Over the Weekend”.
Origin
What's the origin of OTW?
The exact origin of “OTW” is not known, although this too has been around since the end of the 1990’s, with the term first appearing on Urban Dictionary in 2003.
Its position in our communication was heavily influenced by SMS technology on phones, which one could use to reassure people that our delay won’t be so long anymore.
Spread & Usage
How did OTW spread?
The expression would remain popular in the 2010’s, when the wide access of social media and digital communication has allowed many more people to use it in case of a slide in their timetables.
As of 2021, it can be most encountered in text messages, or on apps like WhatsApp and Messenger.