from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lot \Lot\ (l[o^]t), n. [AS. hlot; akin to hle['i]tan to cast
lots, OS. hl[=o]t lot, D. lot, G. loos, OHG. l[=o]z, Icel.
hlutr, Sw. lott, Dan. lod, Goth. hlauts. Cf. {Allot},
{Lotto}, {Lottery}.]
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1. That which happens without human design or forethought;
chance; accident; hazard; fortune; fate.
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But save my life, which lot before your foot doth
lay. --Spenser.
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2. Anything (as a die, pebble, ball, or slip of paper) used
in determining a question by chance, or without man's
choice or will; as, to cast or draw lots.
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The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole
disposing thereof is of the Lord. --Prov. xvi.
33.
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If we draw lots, he speeds. --Shak.
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3. The part, or fate, which falls to one, as it were, by
chance, or without his planning.
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O visions ill foreseen! Each day's lot's
Enough to bear. --Milton.
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He was but born to try
The lot of man -- to suffer and to die. --Pope.
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4. A separate portion; a number of things taken collectively;
all objects sold in a single purchase transaction; as, a
lot of stationery; -- colloquially, sometimes of people;
as, a sorry lot; a bad lot.
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I, this winter, met with a very large lot of English
heads, chiefly of the reign of James I. --Walpole.
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5. A distinct portion or plot of land, usually smaller than a
field; as, a building lot in a city.
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The defendants leased a house and lot in the city of
New York. --Kent.
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6. A large quantity or number; a great deal; as, to spend a
lot of money; to waste a lot of time on line; lots of
people think so. [Colloq.]
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He wrote to her . . . he might be detained in London
by a lot of business. --W. Black.
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7. A prize in a lottery. [Obs.] --Evelyn.
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{To cast in one's lot with}, to share the fortunes of.
{To cast lots}, to use or throw a die, or some other
instrument, by the unforeseen turn or position of which,
an event is by previous agreement determined.
{To draw lots}, to determine an event, or make a decision, by
drawing one thing from a number whose marks are concealed
from the drawer.
{To pay scot and lot}, to pay taxes according to one's
ability. See {Scot}.
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