lota

See also: Lota, løta, and lotâ

English

Etymology

From Hindi लोटा (loṭā) / Urdu لوٹا (loṭā). (person who switches loyalties): From the fact that the lota pot has a tendency to fall over and roll around, as it is not stable sitting on its base.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈləʊtə/
• Rhymes: -əʊtə

Noun

lota (plural lotas)

1. (South Asia) A spherical pot, specifically a water pot used for washing and ablution, typically made of brass.
   • 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 9:

     She had been standing behind the curtain of coloured glass beads for at least half an hour now, waiting patiently with a silver lota of water.

2. (Pakistani politics) A person who switches loyalties, especially from one political party to another, engaging in lotacracy.

Translations

a pot used in South Asia

• Bengali: বদনা (bn) (bodona)
• Gujarati: લોટો (loṭo)
• Hindi: लोटा (hi) f (loṭā)
• Malayalam: കിണ്ടി (ml) (kiṇṭi)
• Nepali: लोटा (loṭā)
• Odia: ଲୋଟା (or) (loṭā), ନୋଟା (or) (noṭā)
• Punjabi: لوٹا (loṭā)
• Tamil: கெண்டிகை (ta) (keṇṭikai)
• Urdu: لوٹا m (loṭā)

a person that switches loyalties

Anagrams

• ATOL, Alto, Toal, a lot, alot, alto, alto-, atlo-, talo-, tola

Chichewa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dóota.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɽo.ta/

Verb

-lota (infinitive kulóta)

1. to dream

Derived terms

• loto (“dream”)
• mlota (“divination”)

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔtaː/

Etymology 1

Unadapted borrowing from Sranan Tongo lota, probably from Kongo l-óoti / lôta / lôte / lotia, Yombe lootyá / lóota ("squamous skin disease").

Alternative forms

• lotta, lottah

Noun

lota m (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. (Suriname) tinea versicolor (a skin condition causing discoloured patches)

Etymology 2

From Caribbean Hindustani lotá, from Hindi लोटा (loṭā) / Urdu لوٹا (loṭā), possibly via Bhojpuri [Term?].

Noun

lota m (plural lota's, diminutive lotaatje n)

1. (chiefly Suriname) lota (a spherical brass pot)

Eastern Bontoc

Noun

lota

1. land
2. earth; soil

Icelandic

Noun

lota f (genitive singular lotu, nominative plural lotur)

1. round (stage or set of events in a game or competition)
2. (tennis) set

Declension

Declension of lota (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	lota	lotan	lotur	loturnar
accusative	lotu	lotuna	lotur	loturnar
dative	lotu	lotunni	lotum	lotunum
genitive	lotu	lotunnar	lota, lotna	lotanna, lotnanna

Further reading

• “lota” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈl̪ˠot̪ˠə/

Etymology 1

From Middle English lot, from Old English hlot (“portion, choice, decision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlutą.

Noun

lota m (genitive singular lota, nominative plural lotaí)

1. lot (plot of land)

   Synonyms: gabháltas, paiste

Declension

Declension of lota (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative lota lotaí vocative a lota a lotaí genitive lota lotaí dative lota lotaí forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an lota na lotaí genitive an lota na lotaí dative leis an lota don lota leis na lotaí

Etymology 2

Noun

lota m (genitive singular lota, nominative plural lotaí)

1. alternative form of lochta (“loft; gallery”)

Declension

Declension of lota (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative lota lotaí vocative a lota a lotaí genitive lota lotaí dative lota lotaí forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an lota na lotaí genitive an lota na lotaí dative leis an lota don lota leis na lotaí

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

lota

1. vocative plural of lot

Verb

lota

1. analytic present subjunctive of lot

Participle

lota

1. past participle of lot

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “lota”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “lota”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 678; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “lota”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “lota”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “lota”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Kituba

Verb

lota

1. to dream

Latin

Participle

lōta

1. inflection of lōtus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Participle

lōtā

1. ablative feminine singular of lōtus

Luba-Kasai

Verb

lota

1. to dream

Lubuagan Kalinga

Noun

lota

1. sap (of a plant)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.ta/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.tɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɔtɐ
• Hyphenation: lo‧ta

Noun

lota f (plural lotas)

1. fish market

Verb

lota

1. inflection of lotar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “lota”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “lota”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Sambali

Noun

lotà

1. soil; earth; ground

Spanish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlota/ [ˈlo.t̪a]
• Rhymes: -ota
• Syllabification: lo‧ta

Noun

lota f (plural lotas)

1. burbot

Further reading

• “lota”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Probably from Kongo l-óoti / lôta / lôte / lotia, Yombe lootyá / lóota ("squamous skin disease").

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lota/, [lʊ̞ta̠], [lɔ̝tɑ̟]

Noun

lota

1. tinea versicolor (a skin condition causing discoloured patches)

Descendants

• Saramaccan: lontá
• → Dutch: lotta, lota

Tumbuka

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-dóota.

Verb

-lota (infinitive kulota)

1. to dream

Derived terms

• loto (“dream”)

References

• William Y. Turner (1996), Tumbuka/Tonga-English and English - Tumbuka/Tonga Dictionary‎^[1], Central Africana Limited, pages 66, 196