A narrow notch, groove, or opening, such as a keyway in a piece of machinery or a slit for a coin in a vending machine.
A position in a group, series, or sequence; also, a period of time. I have an appointment for a haircut at the 2pm slot.
In a video game, the area of the screen where symbols appear to make up a winning combination. Most slots offer a variety of paylines and bonus features that can increase the player’s chances of winning. The emergence of touch-screen technology has changed the way players interact with slot machines. Touch-screen slot machines offer a more immersive experience and higher levels of engagement than their mechanical counterparts.
An electromechanical device used to prevent the illegal operation of slot machines by making or breaking a circuit when it was tampered with. Although electromechanical slot machines no longer have tilt switches, any tampering with the machine can cause it to malfunction.
In the context of airport coordination, a slot is an authorization to take off or land at a specific airport during a specified time period. Air traffic controllers use slots to manage the flow of aircraft at busy airports and prevent repeated delays due to too many flights trying to land or take off at the same time. Derived from Middle Low German slot, from Proto-Germanic *sluta (“lock, castle”). Cognate with Dutch sleutel and German Schloss.