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tote

 - 9 dictionary results

tote

1[toht] ,verb, tot⋅ed, tot⋅ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to carry, as on one's back or in one's arms: to tote a bundle.
2. to carry on one's person: to tote a gun.
3. to transport or convey, as on a vehicle or boat.
–noun
4. the act or course of toting.
5. something that is toted.
6. tote bag.

Origin:
1670–80, Americanism; orig. uncert.


tot⋅a⋅ble, tote⋅a⋅ble, adjective
toter, noun

tote

2[toht] ,
–verb (used with object), tot⋅ed, tot⋅ing.
Informal. to add up; total.

Origin:
1885–90; prob. v. use of tote, shortening of total

tote

3[toht] ,
–noun Informal.
a totalizator.

Origin:
1890–95; by shortening

tote bag

–noun
an open handbag or shopping bag used esp. for carrying packages or small items.
Also called tote.


Origin:
1895–1900, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tote
tote 1   (tōt)   
tr.v.   tot·ed, tot·ing, totes Informal
  1. To haul; lug.

  2. To have on one's person; pack: toting guns.

n.  
  1. Informal A load; a burden.

  2. A tote bag.


[Perhaps (via Black West African English) of Bantu origin; akin to Kongo -tota, to pick up, and Swahili -tuta, to pile up, carry.]
tot'a·ble adj., tot'er n.
tote 2   (tōt)   
tr.v.   tot·ed, tot·ing, totes Informal
  1. To determine the total of; add up.

  2. To sum up; summarize.

tote 3   (tōt)   
n.   Informal
A pari-mutuel machine.

[Short for totalizator.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
tote

  1. n.
    someone who abstains from alcohol. (From total abstainer.) : I'm not a tote, but I do have a limit—rather low by your standards. , Have a drink, or are you still a tote?
  2. n.
    a small portion of cannabis. (Drugs.) : The cops found a tote when they tossed Bart, but that was all.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

tote 
"to carry," 1677, of unknown origin; originally attested in Virginia, but OED discounts the popular theory of its origin in a W.African language (cf. Kikongo tota "pick up," Kimbundu tuta "carry, load," related to Swahili tuta "pile up, carry"). Tote bag is first recorded 1900.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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