A narrow depression, groove, or opening into which a piece fits or slides. In journalism, the position occupied by an item in a publication or on a schedule. For example, a reporter’s slot is the time period assigned to him or her for filing news stories. The word is also used figuratively to mean the position in a group, series, or sequence: I’m hoping to be assigned the 9-a.m. slot for reporting the story about the government’s new health initiative.
In computing, a logical unit of storage capacity on a computer or data storage device. It may be a disk drive or other hardware, such as an expansion card, that provides additional capacity. The term is also used for the logical positions in which items are stored or retrieved, and for the location in a file system where specific information is located. For example, a file that contains data related to an address may be stored in the memory slots of a computer.
The earliest slot machines were mechanical and usually offered a single payline. Modern slots, however, are operated by electronic systems and can feature multiple paylines, adjustable cost per spin, and increasing winning chances through extra symbols and bonus games.
Most slot machines pay winning combinations from left to right, although some allow a player to choose the direction of the paylines and may also have scatter symbols that pay anywhere on the reels. The paytable, found within most slot games, explains the payout odds and how many combinations are possible.
Slot is also the name of a type of slot in a lexicon, an area in a dictionary in which words are listed according to their pronunciation. For example, the entry for the English word “hole” includes the pronunciations given in the lexicon as well as in some other languages, such as French and German. This is a useful tool for language learners, as it helps them understand how the different pronunciations of words are constructed and used.
A linguistic category into which a word or phrase fits, especially a grammatical slot: The phrase fit into the language beautifully. A position in a group, series, or schedule: She has been scheduled to speak at the conference next week. In aviation, an authorized time for a plane to take off or land at an airport, as determined by the air traffic control. The number of aircraft allowed to use a particular slot at a busy airport is limited in order to prevent excessive delays due to too many flights trying to take off or land at the same time. A slot is not to be confused with an air-traffic clearance, which is a type of authorization granted by the air traffic controller.