A slot is a narrow opening, especially in a machine or container, into which something may be inserted to make it work, such as the slit for coins in a vending machine. A slot can also refer to a position or place in a group, series, or sequence. The term was probably originally derived from the name of the narrow groove in a barbed wire fence or the hole in the face of a door. The meaning of the verb to slot is probably from the same source, and it has the same sense as slit and notch: to cut a slit in or into; to fit or set (something) in a slit, notch, or opening; to insert or place in a slot.
In sports, a slot receiver is a wide receiver who lines up closer to the middle of the field than other wide receivers, and is a key position on running plays for teams that use sweeps or slant routes. Typically, a slot receiver is at a greater risk for injury because they are exposed to bigger hits from opposing players.
In computer technology, a slot is the place in a system into which a peripheral device, such as a disk drive or printer, can be installed. A slot in a computer can be configured to accept one type of content or another, such as images or text files. A slot must be specified in a configuration file when the peripheral is installed, and it must be configured to accept content from the appropriate source repository.