The term “slot” is a grammatical construction that has various definitions. In linguistics, it means a hollow place in the throat, above the breastbone. Its origin is uncertain, but it may have come from Old French esclot, a word of uncertain origin. Other meanings are “a hollow place for a coin to fall into,” from 1888, and the more modern sense of “to fit something into a hole.” In the world of sports, a slot can be the interior opening of a copy desk, occupied by a chief copy editor. In aviation, slots are a tool for regulating air traffic at busy airports and to prevent repeated delays caused by multiple flights.
The Dialog Engine recognizes multiple words for the same slot, such as Big Apple and NYC. So if a user says “New York,” the bot will understand this as saying, “Map my flight to NYC.” Similarly, a person can add synonyms by dragging them to the slot field and pressing Enter. It is also possible to delete them by hovering over the slot and clicking the X. In addition, the Dialog Engine also supports multiple slot types, allowing a user to use custom slots to specify additional information.
The term “slot” can be used to describe many different types of openings. Some slots are narrow, while others are wide and elongated. A slot can be a hole, groove, or vent for a piece to slide into. It can also be a synonym for “deer track.” If a deer gets hurt, a bloodhound will follow the slot. This is a common usage of the word. When used in context, however, it can refer to a number of objects, such as a slot or a table.