Main Entry: ¹slate

Pronunciation: \ˈslāt\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English sclate, slate, from Anglo-French *esclat, from esclater to splinter, break off, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German zesleizzen, slīzan to tear apart — more at slit

Date: 14th century

1 : a piece of construction material (as laminated rock) prepared as a shingle for roofing and siding
2 : a dense fine-grained metamorphic rock produced by the compression of various sediments (as clay or shale) so as to develop a characteristic cleavage
3 : a tablet (as of slate) used for writing on
4 a : a written or unwritten record (as of deeds) <started with a clean slate> b : a list of candidates for nomination or election
5 a : a dark purplish gray b : any of various grays similar in color to common roofing slates

— slate adjective

— slate·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective