# lot

Pronunciation: US say "LAHT" /lɑt/; UK say "LOT" /lɒt/

## Noun

1. A large quantity or number of something; a great deal.
   - Simple: A large amount or number of something.
   - _The project took a lot of time and effort to finish._
   - _There's a lot riding on tomorrow's decision._
2. A distinct piece of land with marked boundaries, usually smaller than a field.
   - Simple: A small piece of land with clear edges, often used for a building.
   - _Developers cleared the vacant lot near the river._
   - _Each lot on the street measures about a quarter acre._
3. The share of fortune or fate that falls to a person, as if by chance and not by their own planning.
   - Simple: What life gives a person, good or bad, without their choosing it.
   - _Poverty was the lot of most families in that village._
   - _She refused to see hardship as her permanent lot._
4. An item or group of items treated as one unit for sale, especially at auction, or a batch of goods made together.
   - Simple: One thing or a group of things sold as one, or a batch of things made together.
   - _The auctioneer opened bidding on the next lot, a set of antique chairs._
   - _Several lots of rare coins drew international buyers._
5. A group of people considered together as a single set. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A group of people thought of together as one bunch.
   - _I don't trust that lot at all._
   - _Our new neighbors are a friendly lot who wave whenever we walk past._
6. The whole of a set or group, with every member included; everything.
   - Simple: All of something, with nothing left out.
   - _They cleared out the warehouse and shipped the lot overseas._
   - _When the bill came, he paid for the lot._
7. An object such as a slip of paper or a die used to decide something by chance; also, deciding or sharing things in this way.
   - Simple: A small object, like a slip of paper, used to choose something by chance, or choosing in this way.
   - _The first lot drawn from the urn bore her name._
   - _The crew drew lots to decide who would stand guard that night._

## Noun

8. Whatever comes to pass by chance, without human design or planning. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Something that happens by chance and not because anyone planned it.
9. A prize awarded to a winner in a lottery. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A prize that someone wins in a lottery.

## Verb

10. To allot, sort, or apportion something into shares. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To divide something and give out shares of it.
11. To count or reckon on something; to rely upon it. *(dated, US)*
   - Simple: To count on or expect something.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A historical unit of weight used across Europe from the Middle Ages, often set at one-thirtieth or one-thirty-second of a local pound.

## Origin

From Middle English lot, from Old English hlot ("portion, choice, decision"), going back through Proto-West Germanic *hlut to Proto-Germanic *hlutą. It is related to Dutch lot, French lot, and German Los, and is a doublet of lotto.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lot (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).