OTMA was an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

sometimes used by the four daughters of

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Nicholas II of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and his consort, Alexandra Feodorovna, as a group nickname for themselves, built from the first letter of each girl's name in the order of their births:alexanderpalace.org,
The Grand Duchesses – OTMA
', retrieved 14 June 2009 * Ольга – Olga Nikolaevna Romanova (15 November 1895 – 17 July 1918) was the eldest daughter. * Татьяна – Tatiana Nikolaevna Romanova (10 June 1897 – 17 July 1918) was the second daughter. * Мария – Maria Nikolaevna Romanova (26 June 1899 – 17 July 1918) was the third daughter. * Анастасия – Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova (18 June 1901 – 17 July 1918) was the youngest daughter. Note that the Roman and Cyrillic forms of all four of the initial letters are identical in printed form. In childhood the grand duchesses came up with ОТМА as a sign of sibling closeness and affection for one another, writing it in their

diaries Diaries may refer to: * the plural of diary *''Diaries: 1971-1976'', a 1981 documentary by Ed Pincus *'' Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years'', a 2006 book by Michael Palin *''OFW Diaries ''OFW Diaries'' is a Philippine television documentary ...

. Whilst the family was in captivity after the

Russian Revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

they were allowed to send few letters, and so the sisters often signed this nickname on cards they had written together for loved ones and friends. The four girls used this acronym to further blend themselves in together-to become even more of a unit — a pack — than they already were. In addition, they were grouped into pairs: the Big Pair, comprised of Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana and the Little Pair, composed of Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia. They were often dressed alike, sometimes in their individual pairs, sometimes in the whole group. It was noted that the Grand Duchesses were usually in some variation of their sisters' dress.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otma Russian grand duchesses Sibling quartets