lot

Etymology

From Middle English lot, from Old English hlot (“portion, choice, decision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlutą. Cognate with North Frisian lod, Saterland Frisian Lot, West Frisian lot, Dutch lot, French lot, German Low German Lott, Middle High German luz. Doublet of lotto. Related also to German Los.

noun

1. A large quantity or number; a great deal.
   to spend a lot of money
   lots of people think so
   He wrote to her […] he might be detained in London by a lot of business. 1877, William Black, Green Pastures and Piccadilly, volume 2, page 4
   I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 3, in Mr. Pratt's Patients, page 52
2. A separate portion; a number of things taken collectively.
   a lot of stationery
3. One or more items auctioned or sold as a unit, separate from other items.
4. (informal) A number of people taken collectively.
   a sorry lot
   a bad lot
   you lot
5. A distinct portion or plot of land, usually smaller than a field.
   a building lot in a city
   The defendants leased a house and lot, in the City of New-York 1820, James Kent, edited by William Johnson, Reports of cases adjudged in the Court of Chancery of New-York, volume 5, published 1822
6. That which happens without human design or forethought.
7. Anything (as a die, pebble, ball, or slip of paper) used in determining a question by chance, or without human choice or will.
   to cast lots
   to draw lots
8. The part, or fate, that falls to one, as it were, by chance, or without one's planning.
   We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life. 1977, C-3PO, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
9. A prize in a lottery.
10. Allotment; lottery.
    Archons served only for one year and, since 487/6, they were chosen by lot. Generals, on the other hand, were chosen by direct election and could be reelected without limit. 1990: Donald Kagan, Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, chapter 2: “Politician”, page 40 (Guild Publishing; CN 2239)
11. (definite, the lot) All members of a set; everything.
    The table was loaded with food, but by evening there was nothing but crumbs; we had eaten the lot.
    If I were in charge, I'd fire the lot of them.
12. (historical) An old unit of weight used in many European countries from the Middle Ages, often defined as 1/30 or 1/32 of a (local) pound.

verb

1. (transitive, dated) To allot; to sort; to apportion.
2. (US, informal, dated) To count or reckon (on or upon).