lottery
English
editEtymology
editBorrowed from Italian lotteria, from the same root as Old English hlot (cognate with English lot). Compare French loterie (from Middle Dutch loterie). By surface analysis, lot + -ery.
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈlɒtəɹi/, /ˈlɒtɹi/
Audio (UK): (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlɑtɚi/
Audio (US): (file) - Hyphenation: lot‧te‧ry
- Rhymes: -ɒtəɹi, -ɒtɹi
Noun
editlottery (plural lotteries)
- A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.
- Dave plays the lottery almost every week, but always picks different numbers.
- (figuratively) Something decided by chance.
- It's a bit of a lottery whether we'll get a good table in that diner.
- (obsolete) Allotment; a thing allotted.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editscheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance
|
something decided by chance
allotment
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Italian
- English terms derived from Italian
- English terms suffixed with -ery
- English 3-syllable words
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɒtəɹi
- Rhymes:English/ɒtəɹi/2 syllables
- Rhymes:English/ɒtɹi
- Rhymes:English/ɒtɹi/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with obsolete senses
- en:Gambling