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, General Australian, New Zealand, Canada) 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[rosby] Lincoln, chapter III, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, 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, edited by William Johnson, Reports of cases adjudged in the Court of Chancery of New-York, volume 5, published 1822:
- 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, volumes (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, 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, […], 2nd edition, volume I, 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
- across lots
- a fat lot
- all over the lot
- a lot
- a lot of bit
- bad lot
- board lot
- car lot
- cast in one's lot with
- cast one's lot with
- cellphone lot
- cell phone lot
- crook in the lot
- cross lots
- distribution lot
- do a lot of work
- draw lots
- drop lot
- fall to someone's lot
- fat lot of good
- flag lot
- glass parking lot
- have a lot of time
- 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-cloth split
- lot lizard
- lot mead
- lot number
- 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]
Noun
Declension
References
- Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “lot”, in 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
- 2015, 湖同, “屋主愛貓一屋腳印 藍澄灣玩黑”, in 《港股策略王》, number 23, 睇樓策略王2手篇, page 36:
- 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。 [Hong Kong Cantonese, trad.]
- wai6 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。 [Hong Kong Cantonese, simp.]
- 2016, 于日辰, 倫敦金之《潛龍勿用》 [Lon Don Gold 2], Hong Kong: 點子出版, →ISBN, page 193:
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
lot n (plural loten, diminutive lootje n)
- destiny, fate, lot
- Hij geloofde sterk in het lot en dacht dat alles voorbestemd was.
- He strongly believed in destiny and thought that everything was predetermined.
- Het was haar lot om een belangrijke rol te spelen in het succes van het bedrijf.
- It was her fate to play a significant role in the success of the company.
- Ze accepteerde haar lot en ging verder met haar leven na de tegenslagen.
- She accepted her lot and moved on with her life after the setbacks.
- lottery ticket
- Hij kocht een lot voor de grote loterij die dat weekend zou plaatsvinden.
- He bought a lottery ticket for the big lottery that would take place that weekend.
- De winnaar van het grote geldbedrag was de gelukkige houder van het winnende lot.
- The winner of the big cash prize was the lucky holder of the winning lottery ticket.
- Ze kraste de verborgen cijfers op het lot om te zien of ze een prijs had gewonnen.
- She scratched the hidden numbers on the lottery ticket to see if she had won a prize.
- (archaic) lot, allotment (that which has been apportioned to a party)
Related terms
Descendants
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Inherited 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.
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: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Irish
Noun
lot m (genitive singular as substantive loit, genitive as verbal noun loite, nominative plural loit)
- verbal noun of loit
- injury, impairment
- destruction, defacement, mutilation
Declension
As a substantive:
As a verbal noun:
Derived terms
- lotamas
Verb
lot (present analytic lotann, future analytic lotfaidh, verbal noun lot, past participle lota)
- Alternative form of loit (“wound, destroy, spoil”)
Conjugation
singular | plural | relative | autonomous | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||||
indicative | present | lotaim | lotann tú; lotair† |
lotann sé, sí | lotaimid | lotann sibh | lotann siad; lotaid† |
a lotann; a lotas | lotar |
past | lot mé; lotas | lot tú; lotais | lot sé, sí | lotamar; lot muid | lot sibh; lotabhair | lot siad; lotadar | a lot / ar lot* |
lotadh | |
past habitual | lotainn | lotá | lotadh sé, sí | lotaimis; lotadh muid | lotadh sibh | lotaidís; lotadh siad | a lotadh / a lotadh* |
lotaí | |
future | lotfaidh mé; lotfad |
lotfaidh tú; lotfair† |
lotfaidh sé, sí | lotfaimid; lotfaidh muid |
lotfaidh sibh | lotfaidh siad; lotfaid† |
a lotfaidh; a lotfas | lotfar | |
conditional | lotfainn | lotfá | lotfadh sé, sí | lotfaimis; lotfadh muid | lotfadh sibh | lotfaidís; lotfadh siad | a lotfadh / a lotfadh* |
lotfaí | |
subjunctive | present | go lota mé; go lotad† |
go lota tú; go lotair† |
go lota sé, sí | go lotaimid; go lota muid |
go lota sibh | go lota siad; go lotaid† |
— | go lotar |
past | dá lotainn | dá lotá | dá lotadh sé, sí | dá lotaimis; dá lotadh muid |
dá lotadh sibh | dá lotaidís; dá lotadh siad |
— | dá lotaí | |
imperative | lotaim | lot | lotadh sé, sí | lotaimis | lotaigí; lotaidh† |
lotaidís | — | lotar | |
verbal noun | lot | ||||||||
past participle | lota |
* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
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.[1] By surface analysis, deverbal from lecieć.[2][3][4] First attested in 1548–1551.[5]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lɔt/
- (Middle Polish) IPA(key): /ˈlɔt/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔt
- Syllabification: lot
Noun
lot m inan
- flight (act of flying)
- flight (nstance of flying)
- flight (trip made by an aircraft)
- (Middle Polish) flight (fast movement)
- (Middle Polish) flight (fast spreading)
Declension
Derived terms
- obniżyć loty pf, obniżać loty impf
Trivia
According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), lot is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 59 times in scientific texts, 21 times in news, 4 times in essays, 10 times in fiction, and 8 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 102 times, making it the 618th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.[6]
References
- Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000) “lot”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
- Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “lecieć”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
- Mańczak, Witold (2017) “lot”, in Polski słownik etymologiczny (in Polish), Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności, →ISBN
- Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “lot”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
- Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “lot”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
- Ida Kurcz (1990) “lot”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 222
Further reading
- lot in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- lot in Polish dictionaries at PWN
- Renata Bronikowska (21.04.2016) “LOT”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]
- Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “lot”, in Słownik języka polskiego
- Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “lot”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
- J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1902), “lot”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 2, Warsaw, page 765
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
Noun
lot
- A unit of weight: 1 lot = 3 mısqal = 12.797 g (archaic) (see Tatar units of measurement#Mass)
West Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian hlot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.
Further reading
- “lot (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011