Definition of slate
1 : a piece of construction material (such 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 (such as clay or shale) so as to develop a characteristic cleavage
3 : a tablet (as of slate) used for writing on
4a : a written or unwritten record (as of deeds) started with a clean slateb : a list of candidates for nomination or election
5a : a dark purplish grayb : any of various grays similar in color to common roofing slates
slate
adjectiveExplore M-W
Examples of slate in a Sentence
Some school blackboards are made of slate.
The house has a slate roof.
Origin and Etymology of slate
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
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
First Known Use of slate
15th century
slate
Definition of slate
slated
;slating
transitive verb
1 : to thrash or pummel severely
2 chiefly British : to criticize or censure severely
Origin and Etymology of slate
probably alteration of 1slat
SLATE Defined for English Language Learners
slate
playDefinition of slate for English Language Learners
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: a type of hard rock that splits easily into thin layers
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: a small sheet of slate in a wooden frame that was used in schools in the past for writing on with chalk
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: a piece of slate that is used with others to cover a roof or wall
SLATE Defined for Kids
slate
playDefinition of slate for Students
1 : a fine-grained usually bluish gray rock that splits into thin layers or plates and is used mostly for roofing and blackboards
2 : a framed piece of slate used to write on
Learn More about slate
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See words that rhyme with slate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for slate Spanish Central: Translation of slate Nglish: Translation of slate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of slate for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about slate
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