What is a Slot?

A slot is a dynamic placeholder that either waits for content to be called (passive slots) or contains an action that is used to call out for it (active slots). Content is rendered in the slot by using renderers. The slots feature works in tandem with scenarios and targeters to deliver content on a Web page.

A gaming machine that spins reels containing symbols such as fruit, card letters and numbers, or even people and animals. Players bet money and press a button or flip a lever to spin the reels, with winnings based on how many of the symbols fall on a given payline. Some slot machines offer bonus features like progressive jackpots, tumbling reels or free spins.

(computing) A set of parameters used by an operating system to allocate memory, disk space, or CPU time. A slot may also refer to a partition of a hard disk or a file system.

From the Latin word for bolt, notch or hole; also from Middle Low German slot (“bolt, lock, castle”), from Proto-Germanic *sluta (“lock, castle”) and Dutch slott (“lock, castle”). Cognate with Swedish slottet (“castle”) and German Schloss.

The slot is a special position in a construction into which any of a number of morphemes can fit, as the grammatical equivalent of a filler (compare rim). Often used in technical documentation to refer to the slot in a UI component that allows users to insert and remove widgets from a layout.