tot

¹

[tot]

noun

1. a small child.

2. Chiefly British.,  a small portion of a beverage, especially a dram of liquor.

3. a small quantity of anything.

tot

²

[tot]

verb (used with or without object)

totted, totting 

1. to add; total (often followed byup ).

noun

1. a total.

2. the act of adding.

3. British Informal.,  a column of numbers to be added.

tot.

³

abbreviation

1. total.

tot

¹

/ tɒt /

noun

1. a young child; toddler

2. a small amount of anything

3. a small measure of spirits

tot

²

/ tɒt /

verb

1. (usually foll by up) to total; add

Other Word Forms

• untotted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tot¹

1680–90; perhaps short for totterer ( def. )

Origin of tot²

1745–55; < Latin: so much, so many

Word History and Origins

Origin of tot¹

C18: perhaps short for totterer; see _totter

Origin of tot²

C17: shortened from _total or from Latin totum all

Example Sentences

Don’t be shy about shape or size — shoestring, steak-cut, crinkle, waffle, sweet potato — I’ll even give a pass to tater tots for the sake of this exercise.

Read more on Salon

Inside, staff are totting up how many players the club has.

Read more on BBC

He’ll apparently risk dozens of full-grown proteges for one unproven tot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He argued that unreasonable chastisement, such as beating a child, was already illegal, and voiced concerns the proposal could mean "a mum tapping a tot on the back of the hand" faces criminal prosecution.

Read more on BBC

TV tots in that time were generally being prepped for adulthood; their misadventures led generally, and gently, to lessons learned.

Read more on Los Angeles Times