lot
English
Etymology
From Middle English lot, from Old English hlot (“portion, choice, decision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.
Cognate with North Frisian lod, Saterland Frisian Lot, West Frisian lot, Dutch lot, French lot, German Low German Lott, Middle High German luz. Doublet of lotto. Related also to German Los.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: lŏt, IPA(key): /lɒt/
- (General American) enPR: lät, IPA(key): /lɑt/
- (Boston, Western Pennsylvania) IPA(key): /lɔt/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -ɒt
Noun
lot (plural lots)

- A large quantity or number; a great deal.
- 1877, William Black, Green Pastures and Piccadilly, volume 2, page 4:
- He wrote to her […] he might be detained in London by a lot of business.
- 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 3, in Mr. Pratt's Patients, page 52:
- I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out.
-
- A separate portion; a number of things taken collectively.
- Synonyms: batch, collection, group, set
- a lot of stationery
- One or more items auctioned or sold as a unit, separate from other items.
- (informal) A number of people taken collectively.
- A distinct portion or plot of land, usually smaller than a field.
- 1820, James Kent, William Johnson, editor, Reports of cases adjudged in the Court of Chancery of New-York, volume 5:
- The defendants leased a house and lot, in the City of New-York
-
- That which happens without human design or forethought.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book), Canto V”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 1:
- But save my life, which lot before your foot doth lay.
-
- Anything (as a die, pebble, ball, or slip of paper) used in determining a question by chance, or without human choice or will.
- to cast lots
- to draw lots
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 16:33:
- The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.
- c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
- If we draw lots, he speeds.
- The part, or fate, that falls to one, as it were, by chance, or without one's planning.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book XI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- O visions ill foreseen! Each day's lot's / Enough to bear.
- 1725, Homer, “Book III”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:
- He was but born to try / The lot of man — to suffer and to die.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter II, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book III:
- […] as Jones alone was discovered, the poor lad bore not only the whole smart, but the whole blame; both which fell again to his lot on the following occasion.
- 1977, C-3PO in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
- We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life.
-
- A prize in a lottery.
- Synonym: prize
- 1694 November 22 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for November 12 1694]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], volume I, 2nd edition, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC:
- In the lottery […] Sir R. Haddock one of the Commissrs of the Navy had the greatest lot, £3000 ; my coachman £ 40
- Allotment; lottery.
- 1990: Donald Kagan, Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, chapter 2: “Politician”, page 40 (Guild Publishing; CN 2239)
- Archons served only for one year and, since 487/6, they were chosen by lot. Generals, on the other hand, were chosen by direct election and could be reelected without limit.
- 1990: Donald Kagan, Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, chapter 2: “Politician”, page 40 (Guild Publishing; CN 2239)
- (definite, the lot) All members of a set; everything.
- The table was loaded with food, but by evening there was nothing but crumbs; we had eaten the lot.
- If I were in charge, I'd fire the lot of them.
- (historical) An old unit of weight used in many European countries from the Middle Ages, often defined as 1/30 or 1/32 of a (local) pound.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:lot
Derived terms
- a fat lot
- a lot
- a lot of bit
- across lots
- bad lot
- board lot
- car lot
- cast in one's lot with
- cast one's lot with
- cell phone lot
- cellphone lot
- crook in the lot
- cross lots
- distribution lot
- draw lots
- drop lot
- fall to someone's lot
- fat lot of good
- glass parking lot
- have a lot of time for
- home lot
- it takes a lot of living to make a house a home
- job lot
- job lot
- leave a lot to be desired
- lot lizard
- lot number
- lot-cloth split
- odd lot
- parking lot
- round lot
- scot and lot
- tax lot
- thanks a lot
- that's your lot
- throw in one's lot with
- tot lot
- vacant lot
- water lot
- wood lot
- you lot
Translations
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Albanian
Etymology
From Proto-Albanian *lā(i)ta, and adjective in *-to-, from Proto-Indo-European *lēy- (“to pour”).[1]
Declension
References
- Orel, Vladimir (1998) Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 231
Balinese
Chinese
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Classifier
lot
- (Hong Kong Cantonese) Classifier for large quantity of objects or people.
- 一lot過/一lot过 [Cantonese] ― jat1 lot1 gwo3 [Jyutping] ― in a large batch
- 為咗全力催谷最難賣嘅三房,就預留咗成LOT貨俾緻藍天回流客揀。 [Cantonese, trad.]
- From: 2015, 港股策略王, Issue 23, page 36
- wai4 zo2 cyun4 lik6 ceoi1 guk1 zeoi3 naan4 maai6 ge3 saam1 fong4-2, zau6 jyu6 lau4 zo2 seng4 lot1 fo3 bei2 zi3 laam4 tin1 wui4 lau4 haak3 gaan2. [Jyutping]
- To encourage the sales of three-roomers, which are the most difficult to sell, [they] reserved an entire batch of products (flats) for customers who returned after [the sales of] Hemera.
为咗全力催谷最难卖嘅三房,就预留咗成LOT货俾致蓝天回流客拣。 [Cantonese, simp.]
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch and Old Dutch lot, from Frankish *hlot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lɔt/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: lot
- Rhymes: -ɔt
Noun
Related terms
Descendants
Anagrams
French
Etymology
From Middle French lot, from Old French loz, los, from Frankish *lot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą. Cognate with English lot.
Pronunciation
Noun
lot m (plural lots)
Derived terms
Further reading
- “lot”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
Indonesian
Etymology
From Dutch lot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈlɔt]
- Hyphenation: lot
Noun
lot (first-person possessive lotku, second-person possessive lotmu, third-person possessive lotnya)
Descendants
- → Balinese: ᬮᭀᬢ᭄ (lot, “lottery”)
Further reading
- “lot” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
Lombard
Alternative forms
- lòtt (Classical Milanese Orthography)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lɔt/ (Milanese)
Norman
Etymology
From Frankish *lot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.
Northern Kurdish
Polish
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *letъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *lekt-, from Proto-Indo-European *lek- (“jump”). Compare Czech let and Russian лёт, полёт (ljot, poljót).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lɔt/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔt
- Syllabification: lot
Noun
lot m inan
Declension
Derived terms
- lotniczo
- lotnie
Related terms
- dolatywać impf, dolecieć pf
- latać impf, polatać pf
- lecieć impf, polecieć pf
- nadlatywać impf, nadlecieć pf
- nalatywać impf, nalecieć pf
- oblatywać impf, oblecieć pf
- odlatywać impf, odlecieć pf
- podlatywać impf, podlecieć pf
- przelatywać impf, przelecieć pf
- przylatywać impf, przylecieć pf
- rozlatywać impf, rozlecieć pf
- ulatywać impf, ulecieć pf
- wlatywać impf, wlecieć pf
- wylatywać impf, wylecieć pf
- wzlatywać impf, wzlecieć pf
- zalatywać impf, zalecieć pf
- zlatywać impf, zlecieć pf
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lot/
Noun
lot n (plural loturi)
- plot (of land)
- batch (of goods for sale)
- lot (at auction)
- national sports team
- (dated) lottery ticket
Declension
References
- lot in DEX online - Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
From the root of loitiméir (“destroyer, botcher”).
Tatar
West Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian hlot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.
Further reading
- “lot (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011