lot

See also: Lot and lọt

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. 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)

Lot, noun definition 5

1. A large quantity or number; a great deal.

   to spend a lot of money;  lots of people think so

   • 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.

2. A separate portion; a number of things taken collectively.

   a lot of stationery

3. One or more items auctioned or sold as a unit, separate from other items.
4. (informal) A number of people taken collectively.

   a sorry lot; a bad lot

5. A distinct portion or plot of land, usually smaller than a field.

   a building lot in a city

   • 1820, James Kent, ‎William Johnson, editor, Reports of cases adjudged in the Court of Chancery of New-York‎^[1], volume 5:

     The defendants leased a house and lot, in the City of New-York

6. That which happens without human design or forethought; chance; accident; hazard; fortune; fate.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Spenser

     But save my life, which lot before your foot doth lay.

7. 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

   • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Proverbs xvi. 33

     The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     If we draw lots, he speeds.

8. The part, or fate, that falls to one, as it were, by chance, or without his planning.
   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     O visions ill foreseen! Each day's lot's / Enough to bear.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope

     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. In Six Volumes, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: Printed by A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292, 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.

   • C-3PO

     "We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life." in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

9. A prize in a lottery.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Evelyn to this entry?)

10. 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.

11. (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.

12. 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

• (large quantity or number): load, mass, pile
• (number of things taken collectively): batch, collection, group, set
• (informal: a number of people taken collectively): crowd, gang, group
• (distinct portion or plot of land): allotment, parcel, plot
• (that which happens without human design or forethought): destiny, fate, fortune
• (anything used in determining a question by chance):
• (fate that falls to one by chance):
• (prize in a lottery): prize
• See also Thesaurus:lot

Derived terms

• a lot

Translations

large quantity or number — see a lot

number of things taken collectively

• Finnish: erä (fi)
• French: groupe (fr) m, ensemble (fr) m
• German: Menge (de) f, Los (de) n, Charge (de) f, Haufen (de) m, Anzahl (de) f

• Italian: gruppo (it) m, insieme (it) m, quantità (it) f
• Portuguese: quantidade (pt)
• Swedish: mängd (sv) c

informal: a number of people taken collectively

• Finnish: joukko (fi)
• French: bande (fr) f
• German: Gruppe (de) f, Menge (de) f, Haufen (de) m, Häuflein n

• Portuguese: bando (pt) m
• Russian: гру́ппа (ru) f (grúppa)
• Swedish: bunt (sv) c, skara (sv)

distinct portion or plot of land

• Danish: grundstykke n
• Faroese: grundstykki n
• Finnish: tontti (fi)
• French: lot (fr) m, parcelle (fr) f
• German: Parzelle f, Grund (de) m, Grundstück (de) n

• Hebrew: חֶלְקָה‎‎ f (ḥelqá)
• Hungarian: telek (hu)
• Portuguese: lote (pt)
• Spanish: loteo (es) m
• Swedish: tomt (sv)

that which happens without human design or forethought

• Finnish: kohtalo (fi), osa (fi)
• French: destin (fr) m
• German: Schicksal (de) n, Los (de) n
• Hungarian: sors (hu)
• Italian: destino (it) m

• Norwegian: skjebne (no)
• Polish: przeznaczenie (pl) n
• Russian: у́часть (ru) f (účastʹ), судьба́ (ru) f (sudʹbá)
• Spanish: destino (es)
• Swedish: öde (sv) n, lott (sv) c

anything used in determining a question by chance

• Finnish: arpa (fi)
• German: Los (de) n
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: κλῆρος m (klêros)

• Hebrew: גּוֹרָל‎‎ m (gorál)
• Polish: los (pl) m
• Russian: жре́бий (ru) m (žrébij)
• Swedish: lott (sv) c

fate that falls to one by chance

• Faroese: lagna f
• Finnish: arpaonni (fi)
• German: Los (de) n, Schicksal (de) n
• Greek:

  Ancient: πότμος m (pótmos)

• Hungarian: sors (hu)
• Japanese: 宿命 (ja) (shukumei)
• Latin: sors (la) f, pars (la)
• Mongolian: хувь (mn) (huvʹ)
• Swedish: lott (sv) c

prize in a lottery

• Finnish: voitto (fi), arpajaisvoitto
• French: lot (fr) m

• German: Los (de) n

a thirtieth pound

• Dutch: lood (nl)

Verb

lot (third-person singular simple present lots, present participle lotting, simple past and past participle lotted)

1. (transitive, dated) To allot; to sort; to apportion.
2. (US, informal, dated) To count or reckon (on or upon).

Anagrams

• LTO, OTL, tol, tol'

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Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *lā(i)ta, and adjective in *-to-, from Proto-Indo-European *lēi 'to pour'.

Noun

lot m (indefinite plural lotë, definite singular loti, definite plural lotët)

1. tear (from the eye)

   Gjak, lot dhe djersë — Blood, tears and sweat

Derived terms

• losh
• loc
• loçkë
• loke

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔt

Noun

lot n (plural loten, diminutive lotje n)

1. destiny, fate
2. lottery ticket

Anagrams

• tol

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French

Etymology

From Frankish *lot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lo/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

Noun

lot m (plural lots)

1. share (of inheritance)
2. plot (of land)
3. batch (of goods for sale)
4. lot (at auction)
5. prize (in lottery)
6. lot, fate
7. (slang) babe

Further reading

• “lot” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Kurdish

Noun

lot ?

1. jump

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Norman

Etymology

From Frankish *lot, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.

Noun

lot m (plural lots)

1. (Guernsey) lot (at auction)

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Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

lot

1. simple past of la (Etymology 1)
2. simple past of late

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɔt/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

lot m inan

1. flight

Declension

declension of lot

	singular	plural
nominative	lot	loty
genitive	lotu	lotów
dative	lotowi	lotom
accusative	lot	loty
instrumental	lotem	lotami
locative	locie	lotach
vocative	locie	loty

Further reading

• lot in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Scottish Gaelic

Noun

lot m (gen lota, pl lotan)

1. sore, wound
2. sting

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Tatar

Noun

lot

1. A unit of weight: 1 lot = 3 mısqal = 12.797 g (archaic) [2]

Declension

    declension of lot

Nominative	lot
Genitive	lotnıñ
Dative	lotqa
Accusative	lotnı
Locative	lotta
Ablative	lottan

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West Frisian

Noun

lot c (plural lotten)

1. fate, destiny