What Does Slot Mean in English?

A slot is a narrow opening or hole in a machine. People put coins in these slots to operate the device. A typical example is the slot in a telephone where a coin is required to dial a number. This is similar to a bank’s ATM machine, where a coin is needed to open the slot to process the transaction. However, the meaning of slots is more varied than this. A variety of other uses and functions of slots can be found in language, including the following:

A slot is an authorization for an airplane to take off or land at a particular airport. An airport that has several planes using the same runway has many slots, making it difficult to keep them all running smoothly. These slots are the best way to manage air traffic in busy airports and prevent repeated delays caused by multiple planes operating in the same area at once. Some slots are designed for different types of aircraft, including small, slow, and ultralight aircraft.

A computer’s processor is connected to the motherboard through a slot. It was designed to make it easier to replace a chip or upgrade a processor. The first slot was made by the Intel Corporation in 1997. AMD introduced a smaller version in 1999 called Slot A. A second slot, larger than Slot 1, was released in 2000. Since the introduction of the socket, these slots are no longer used. Most new computers come with sockets instead of slots.