DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

slat

1
[ slat ]
/ slæt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR slat ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a long thin, narrow strip of wood, metal, etc., used as a support for a bed, as one of the horizontal laths of a Venetian blind, etc.
Aeronautics. a control surface along the leading edge of a wing that can be extended forward to create a gap (slot) to improve airflow.
slats, Slang.
  1. the ribs.
  2. the buttocks.
  3. (initial capital letter) a nickname for a tall, slender man.

verb (used with object), slat·ted, slat·ting.

to furnish or make with slats

Words related to slat

wedge, bat, cane, bar, wand, club, rod, baton, stalk, strip, slab, panel, load, bulk, extent, supply, chunk, number, volume, lot

Words nearby slat

slashdot effect, slasher, slasher movie, slashfest, slashing, slat, slat back, slatch, slate, slate black, slate blue

Origin of slat

1
1350–1400; Middle English sclat, slatt a slate < Middle French esclat splinter, fragment; see éclat

Definition for slat (2 of 2)

slat2
[ slat ]
/ slæt /
Chiefly British Dialect

verb (used with object), slat·ted, slat·ting.

to throw or dash with force.

verb (used without object), slat·ted, slat·ting.

to flap violently, as sails.

noun

a slap; a sharp blow.

Origin of slat

2
First recorded in 1815–25, slat is from the Old Norse word sletta to splash, strike
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for slat

British Dictionary definitions for slat (1 of 3)

slat1
/ (slæt) /

noun

a narrow thin strip of wood or metal, as used in a Venetian blind, etc
a movable or fixed auxiliary aerofoil attached to the leading edge of an aircraft wing to increase lift, esp during landing and takeoff

verb slats, slatting or slatted

(tr) to provide with slats

Word Origin for slat

C14: from Old French esclat splinter, from esclater to shatter

British Dictionary definitions for slat (2 of 3)

slat2
/ (slæt) dialect /

verb slats, slatting or slatted

(tr) to throw violently; fling carelessly
(intr) to flap violently

noun

a sudden blow

Word Origin for slat

C13: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse, Icelandic sletta to slap

British Dictionary definitions for slat (3 of 3)

slat3
/ (slæt) /

noun

Irish a spent salmon

Word Origin for slat

C19: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012