slate

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /slet/ UK /sleɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #10093

Meanings

1

verb
designate or schedule

We slated the talk for 9 AM.
2

verb
cover with slate

Slate the roof.
3

verb
enter on a list or slate for an election

The candidate was slated for borough president.
4

noun
A flake or piece of certain types of stone that tend to cleave into thin layers.

Some of the minor Welsh 2 ft. gauge railways, we hear from Mr. N. F. G. Dalston, are enjoying a miniature boom owing to the demand for slate for the repair of damaged roofs.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms digislatereslateslastoslate-shiverslatedslatefulslatelessslatelikeslatenslaterslatestoneslateworks

Related forms basalt

Appears in

Idioms (1)

See all

wipe the slate clean
to forgive or forget past problems so a fresh start is possible

Simplified etymology

Slate comes from Old French esclat, “a piece broken off.” Its use for purchases made on credit arose because shops and bars once recorded customers’ debts on writing slates. The 19th-century verb meaning “criticize” may instead be connected with a Scots verb slate, “set a dog on,” derived from Old Norse.

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English sclate, slat, slate (“type of rock; roofing slate; writing slate”), from Old French esclate, a feminine form of esclat (“broken piece, shard”) (modern French éclat), from Old French esclater (“to break, shatter”), from Frankish *slaitijan (“to split, break”), from Proto-Germanic *slaitijaną, the causative of *slītaną (“to cut up, split”); further etymology unknown (see the Proto-Germanic entry for a discussion). Doublet of éclat and slat. The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# slate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /slet/
**IPA (UK):** /sleɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 10093

## Meanings
1. designate or schedule
2. cover with slate
3. enter on a list or slate for an election
4. A flake or piece of certain types of stone that tend to cleave into thin layers.

## Examples
- We slated the talk for 9 AM.
- Slate the roof.
- The candidate was slated for borough president.
- Some of the minor Welsh 2 ft. gauge railways, we hear from Mr. N. F. G. Dalston, are enjoying a miniature boom owing to the demand for slate for the repair of damaged roofs.

## Derived Forms
- digislate
- reslate
- slasto
- slate-shiver
- slated
- slateful
- slateless
- slatelike
- slaten
- slater
- slatestone
- slateworks

## Related Forms
- basalt

## Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English sclate, slat, slate (“type of rock; roofing slate; writing slate”), from Old French esclate, a feminine form of esclat (“broken piece, shard”) (modern French éclat), from Old French esclater (“to break, shatter”), from Frankish *slaitijan (“to split, break”), from Proto-Germanic *slaitijaną, the causative of *slītaną (“to cut up, split”); further etymology unknown (see the Proto-Germanic entry for a discussion). Doublet of éclat and slat. The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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