Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'lots' is a versatile and commonly used term in the English language, often referring to a large number or quantity. Its significance extends beyond mere numerics, as it can also signify a great degree or amount, such as 'lots of love' or 'lots of fun'. This word has become an integral part of our daily conversations and expressions, reflecting its cultural importance.
Moreover, the concept of 'lots' is not exclusive to English-speaking cultures; many languages have their own unique ways of expressing this idea. For instance, in Spanish, 'lots' can be translated as 'muchos' or 'muches', while in French, it becomes 'beaucoup'. These translations not only help us understand the word's equivalent in different languages but also offer a glimpse into the distinct cultural perspectives and nuances of various societies.
Delving into the translations of 'lots' in different languages can be an enlightening journey, shedding light on fascinating historical contexts and interesting facts associated with this word. So, let's explore how 'lots' is conveyed in a variety of global tongues.
Afrikaans | baie | ||
The Afrikaans word "baie" can also refer to a "berry" or "bay". | |||
Amharic | ብዙ | ||
In Amharic, the word "ብዙ" can also mean "many" or "much". | |||
Hausa | kuri'a | ||
The Hausa word "kuri'a" can refer to the act of drawing lots, the objects used for divination, or the outcome of a lottery or gambling game. | |||
Igbo | nza | ||
Igbo 'nza' shares a root with 'nsa,' meaning 'to divide,' and derives from the Proto-Benue-Congo verb 'nzá,' meaning 'draw lots.' | |||
Malagasy | antsapaka | ||
"antsapaka" is a cognate of "antsapa" which means "four" in Malagasy and "apat" which means "four" in Sanskrit. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | zambiri | ||
The Nyanja (Chichewa) word "zambiri" is originally from Arabic, with the literal meaning of "many". | |||
Shona | mijenya | ||
The word mijenya is also used to describe a group of people who are responsible for distributing land in a community. | |||
Somali | badan | ||
The word "badan" is also used in Somali to mean "body" or "person." | |||
Sesotho | lotho | ||
The word "lotho" is also the name for a popular South African lottery. | |||
Swahili | kura | ||
The Swahili word "kura" can also refer to a place where people gather to vote or to a council of elders. | |||
Xhosa | amaqashiso | ||
The Xhosa word 'amaqashiso' can also refer to the act of gambling or drawing lots. | |||
Yoruba | ọpọlọpọ | ||
In some contexts, "ọpọlọpọ" can mean "many" or "a lot." | |||
Zulu | inkatho | ||
Inkathu also means the 'right to cast lots to determine who will occupy the homestead' or 'the right to occupy a homestead' | |||
Bambara | lot (loti) caman | ||
Ewe | lots | ||
Kinyarwanda | ubufindo | ||
Lingala | ebele | ||
Luganda | ebibanja | ||
Sepedi | dilotho tše dintši | ||
Twi (Akan) | lots | ||
Arabic | الكثير | ||
الكثير means "the many" in Arabic and is used to describe a group of people or things. | |||
Hebrew | הרבה | ||
The verb that the noun הרהבה "lots" derives from, implies an increase, which is why הרהבה can both mean "lots" and "enlargement". | |||
Pashto | ډیری | ||
The word ډیری ("lots") in Pashto also means "many" or "abundant." | |||
Arabic | الكثير | ||
الكثير means "the many" in Arabic and is used to describe a group of people or things. |
Albanian | shumë | ||
The word "shumë" is borrowed from Turkish and shares its original meaning of "many" or "a lot". It was likely introduced into the Albanian language during the Ottoman period. | |||
Basque | asko | ||
In the context of Basque cuisine, "asko" can refer to the remains of a meal in the pot. | |||
Catalan | molts | ||
"Molts" in Catalan can also mean "many" or "a lot". | |||
Croatian | puno | ||
The word "puno" in Croatian can also mean "full" or "very much of something". | |||
Danish | masser | ||
The word "masser" in Danish also has the archaic meaning of "much, a quantity". | |||
Dutch | veel | ||
The word 'veel' in Dutch also means 'calf' | |||
English | lots | ||
Historically, "lots" could refer to objects used in divination or to the act of casting lots (random selection). | |||
French | beaucoup | ||
The word "beaucoup" comes from the Late Latin word "baucalis", meaning "a great deal" or "abundance" | |||
Frisian | lots | ||
The Frisian word "lots" can also mean "fate" or "destiny". | |||
Galician | moitos | ||
Galician "moitos" comes from the same root as English "much" and Latin "multus," and can also mean "shrubby brushwood." | |||
German | viele | ||
The German word "viele" (lots) is derived from the Old High German word "fela", meaning "much" or "many". | |||
Icelandic | mikið | ||
Mikið can also refer to an excessive amount, or be used to express amazement, in which case its approximate English translation would be "my goodness" | |||
Irish | go leor | ||
An alternative rendering of the phrase is “go leor agus go maith”, which can be translated as “lots and lots and lots”. | |||
Italian | molte | ||
"Molte" in Italian originates from the Latin "multus," meaning "abundant" or "in great quantity. It also denotes large sums of money or a vast number of persons or items." | |||
Luxembourgish | vill | ||
Etymology: from Medieval Latin villa "country estate, village" | |||
Maltese | lottijiet | ||
The word "lottijiet" in Maltese is derived from the Italian word "lotto," and it can also mean "a plot of land" or "a piece of property." | |||
Norwegian | masse | ||
The word "masse" can also mean "mass" or "crowd" in Norwegian. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | grande quantidade | ||
"Grande quantidade" is the Portuguese translation of "a large amount", which can also mean "a great deal", "a lot", or "plenty". | |||
Scots Gaelic | tòrr | ||
Tòrr can also mean a heap, pile or mound | |||
Spanish | un montón | ||
The phrase "un montón" has its origins in the Arabic word "munton" which means "a pile" and arrived in Spanish through Andalusian Arabic. | |||
Swedish | massor | ||
In Swedish, massor means 'masses', but in English it refers to a 'large quantity'. | |||
Welsh | llawer | ||
The word 'llawer' also means 'plenty' and 'large number' in Welsh. |
Belarusian | шмат | ||
"Шмат" also means "piece" in Belarusian, similar to Russian "кусок." | |||
Bosnian | puno | ||
The word 'puno' in Bosnian can also refer to a large amount or quantity of something. | |||
Bulgarian | много | ||
The word “много” also means “different” and “very”. | |||
Czech | spousty | ||
The word "spousty" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *spǫsti, meaning "to let fall, to throw down". | |||
Estonian | palju | ||
The word "palju" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "paljoŋ", meaning "many, much" or "a great deal". | |||
Finnish | paljon | ||
The word "paljon" has a possible origin in the Proto-Finnic word "*paljo", which could mean "many" or "great in size". | |||
Hungarian | sok | ||
The Hungarian word "sok" is ultimately derived from Proto-Turkic "*šok", meaning "plenty" or "abundance". | |||
Latvian | daudz | ||
The word "daudz" is also sometimes used as a noun, meaning "a lot" or "amount". | |||
Lithuanian | daug | ||
The Lithuanian word "daug" is also related to the Latvian word "daudz", the Old Prussian word "dauto", and the Sanskrit word "duhitas". | |||
Macedonian | многу | ||
The Macedonian word "многу" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*men-, *mon-" meaning "to think" or "to measure." | |||
Polish | wiele | ||
The word "wiele" (lots) is related to the Slavic word "vek" (age), suggesting an association between age and abundance. | |||
Romanian | multe | ||
The Romanian word «multe» also means «fines» and derives from the Latin «multa» (penalty), itself deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root «*mel-» (to punish). | |||
Russian | лоты | ||
**Лоты** могут быть как объектами аукциона, так и единицей измерения длины, равной 3 аршинам (213 см). | |||
Serbian | много | ||
The word "много" originally meant "many" or "great" in Old Church Slavonic, and is related to the Sanskrit word "mahat" meaning "great". | |||
Slovak | veľa | ||
"Veľa" is also the Slovak translation of "whale," a word which in Slovak is used metaphorically to describe something that is large. | |||
Slovenian | veliko | ||
The Slavic word "veliko" (great) is related to the Proto-Indo-European root *wegʰ-, meaning "to carry off," hence "big, heavy, important." | |||
Ukrainian | багато | ||
The word 'багато' comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'bogъto' which also meant 'rich'. |
Bengali | প্রচুর | ||
The word 'প্রচুর' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'प्रचुर' (pracura), which means 'abundant', 'copious', or 'ample'. | |||
Gujarati | ઘણાં | ||
The Gujarati word "ઘણાં" can also mean "many" or "much" | |||
Hindi | बहुत सारे | ||
The Hindi word 'बहुत सारे' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bahulata', meaning 'abundance' or 'multitude'. | |||
Kannada | ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು | ||
The word "ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು" is derived from Sanskrit and means "sufficient" or "adequate". | |||
Malayalam | ഒത്തിരി | ||
The word "ഒത്തിരി" (oṭṭiri) in Malayalam is derived from the Dravidian root "*ott-," which means "to abound" or "to be plentiful." | |||
Marathi | बरेच | ||
The Marathi word "बरेच" (barech) also means "fairly" or "considerably". | |||
Nepali | धेरै | ||
धेरै can also mean 'many' or 'much'. | |||
Punjabi | ਬਹੁਤ | ||
The word "ਬਹੁਤ" also means "very" or "excessive" in Punjabi. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කැබලි අක්ෂර | ||
Tamil | நிறைய | ||
"நிறைய" means both "lots" and "colours" in Tamil, with "lots" possibly being an extended usage of the word representing abundance in different aspects. | |||
Telugu | మా | ||
The word "మా" can also mean "our" or "ours" in Telugu. | |||
Urdu | بہت | ||
The word "बहुत" can also mean "very" or "excessive" in Urdu. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 很多 | ||
In Cantonese, '很多' means 'very', while in Shanghainese, it means 'many'. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 很多 | ||
很多 (pinyin: hěn duō) can also refer to "many people". | |||
Japanese | たくさん | ||
The word たくさん (takusan) can also mean "a great deal," "plenty," or "much," and it is often used to express gratitude or appreciation for something. | |||
Korean | 많은 | ||
In Middle Korean, "많은" was written as "만흔" (manh-heun), which had the meanings of "excessive" or "abundant". | |||
Mongolian | олон | ||
The Mongolian term "олон" is derived from the verb "олох" meaning "to live" or "to exist". It can also refer to "a great number" or "a multitude". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အများကြီး | ||
Indonesian | banyak | ||
The word "banyak" originally meant "many" in Old Malay and is also used in some other Austronesian languages. | |||
Javanese | akeh | ||
The word "akeh" in Javanese can also mean "many" or "much" | |||
Khmer | ច្រើន | ||
The Khmer word "ច្រើន" can also mean "many" or "abundant." | |||
Lao | ຫຼາຍ | ||
The Lao word "ຫຼາຍ" can be used as an adjective meaning "many" or an adverb meaning "frequently" or "often." | |||
Malay | banyak | ||
The word 'banyak' is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *baŋa, which means 'to spread out'. It also has an alternate meaning of 'many' in several other Austronesian languages. | |||
Thai | จำนวนมาก | ||
The Thai word "จำนวนมาก" can mean both "a lot" and "many" in English. | |||
Vietnamese | rất nhiều | ||
The word "rất nhiều" can also mean "very much" or "very many" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | marami | ||
Azerbaijani | çoxlu | ||
The word "çoxlu" is derived from the Old Turkic word "çok", meaning "much" or "many". In modern Azerbaijani, "çoxlu" can refer to a large quantity or number, or it can be used to indicate a multiplicity of choices or options. | |||
Kazakh | көп | ||
The word "көп" in Kazakh derives from the Proto-Turkic root *köp-, which also means "many" or "much" in other Turkic languages. | |||
Kyrgyz | көп | ||
'Көп' также имеет значение 'много' и 'обширный'. | |||
Tajik | қуръа | ||
In some contexts, the word "қуръа" can also refer to a lottery or raffle. | |||
Turkmen | köp | ||
Uzbek | ko'p | ||
The Uzbek word "ko'p" is also derived from the Persian word "kebud" or "kabud", which means "many" or "abundant" | |||
Uyghur | lot | ||
Hawaiian | hailona | ||
The word hailona, meaning "lots," is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word for "to draw," suggesting its original connection to the practice of casting lots. | |||
Maori | rota | ||
The word 'rota' in Māori can also refer to a group of people taking turns to do something. | |||
Samoan | tele | ||
Samoan "tele" is derived from the Proto-Polynesian root "tele", meaning "many, many, large, heavy", and also means "thick"} | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | marami | ||
The word 'marami' originates from the Proto-Austronesian *maRami, meaning 'many, plentiful'. |
Aymara | lotes ukanaka | ||
Guarani | lote-kuéra | ||
Esperanto | multe | ||
"Multe" is also the Latin word for "fine" or "penalty", and is related to the English word "multitude". | |||
Latin | lots | ||
The Latin plural of "lot" also implies a distribution of land in small subdivisions in colonial territories. |
Greek | πλήθος | ||
In modern Greek, the word "πλήθος" also means "crowd" or "large number" | |||
Hmong | ntau ntau | ||
The Hmong word "ntau ntau" also means "many" or "numerous". | |||
Kurdish | gelek | ||
The word "gelek" also refers to a type of Kurdish rug with colorful geometric patterns. | |||
Turkish | çok | ||
The word "çok" is derived from the Old Turkic word "çokı" and is also related to the Hungarian word "sok" and the Turkic words "çok" (abundance) and "çoq" (much). | |||
Xhosa | amaqashiso | ||
The Xhosa word 'amaqashiso' can also refer to the act of gambling or drawing lots. | |||
Yiddish | גורל | ||
The Yiddish word "גורל" is used in reference to two biblical passages involving the division of possessions by drawing lots. | |||
Zulu | inkatho | ||
Inkathu also means the 'right to cast lots to determine who will occupy the homestead' or 'the right to occupy a homestead' | |||
Assamese | বহুত | ||
Aymara | lotes ukanaka | ||
Bhojpuri | ढेर सारा बा | ||
Dhivehi | ގިނަ އަދަދެކެވެ | ||
Dogri | ढेर सारे | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | marami | ||
Guarani | lote-kuéra | ||
Ilocano | lote | ||
Krio | bɔku bɔku tin dɛn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | زۆر | ||
Maithili | बहुत रास | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯣꯠꯁꯤꯡ ꯂꯩ꯫ | ||
Mizo | lots a ni | ||
Oromo | lootii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବହୁତ | ||
Quechua | lotes | ||
Sanskrit | लोट् | ||
Tatar | лот | ||
Tigrinya | ዕጫታት | ||
Tsonga | lots | ||