A slot is a narrow opening or groove in something. It is often used to place coins into a machine or to dial a telephone number. It is also used in aviation to manage air traffic at busy airports.
The word slot has multiple meanings, including place, time, and aperture. It can also mean a general word meaning “hole” or “crack.”
In linguistics, the noun slot is related to the verb slot. The verb is derived from the Old French word slot, which means “sliding.” It has an etymological connection to deer track, as a bloodhound is said to follow the path of a wounded deer.
Another definition is “an interior opening in a desk, occupied by the chief copy editor.” It can also refer to a job opening at a newspaper. In ice hockey, a slot between the face-off circles helps pilots land without having to go through the entire ice rink.
A computer expansion slot is a physical connection for a processor. It allows computers to add new hardware or upgrade existing hardware easily.
A slot is a type of function that can have variable number of arguments, as opposed to static functions. It is useful in component programming because it can be used to communicate with other objects. It is also useful for natural language processing, since it can be used to identify intents and help extract information from data. This type of function can also be used to resolve minor variations in values.
