A narrow depression, groove, notch, slit, or aperture. Used of a hole in a door, for example: He slotted a piece of wood into the jamb. Also: A time period in a day or week when something can be done; an allocated place or position in a group, series, or sequence: She booked a time slot for her haircut. Also: A position in a game or other activity: His strategy paid off with a win in the final round of the tournament.
In computer science, a logical unit of memory that is reserved for storing or reading data. It is similar to a physical disk drive or floppy disc, but the data can be accessed much faster than from a hard drive or CD-ROM. Also known as a buffer.
In the United States, a casino that offers gaming machines with minimum bets of $5 or less. These machines are usually located in separate rooms or’salons’, with their own attendants and cashiers.
The most important thing to know before playing slots is the rules. Each machine will have its own set of rules and payouts, so be sure to read them carefully before you start playing. Some of these rules may be displayed as small tables on the face of the machine, while others may be included in a help menu or within the slot’s graphics.
Another essential thing to remember before playing slots is that you should always test the payout percentage of a machine before spending any money. This way, you will be able to determine whether or not it is worth your while. If you find that a particular machine isn’t paying out, try another one until you find one that is.
Slots can be a lot of fun, but it’s important to know when to stop. This is especially true if you are playing online, where it can be easy to spend more than you intended. Be sure to set a spending budget before you start playing and stick to it.
In linguistics, a word slot is an internal position in a phrase or clause in which a particular morpheme or morpheme sequence can be placed. It is similar to a tag in tagmemics, but is more specific to the context of the phrase or clause.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright
From Middle English slot, from Old English slitt, from Proto-Germanic *slutila (source also of German schloss “bolt, bar, lock,” and Dutch sluiten). Similar to notch, gap, or crevice. Also akin to Danish slit, and Swedish slitt.
A slot is an elongated depression in the surface of a machine, typically used to hold a coin or other object. The slot is usually covered by a transparent plastic shield or other covering, and may be lined with felt to protect the item from friction. The elongated depression may be a single vertical or horizontal line, or it may have a number of parallel lines running from one end to the other.