slat
1[ slat ]
/ slæt /
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.
- the ribs.
- the buttocks.
- (initial capital letter) a nickname for a tall, slender man.
verb (used with object), slat·ted, slat·ting.
to furnish or make with slats
Nearby words
Origin of slat
1Definition for slat (2 of 2)
slat
2[ slat ]
/ slæt /
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
2First 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)
slat
1/ (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)
slat
2/ (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)
slat
3/ (slæt) /
noun
Irish a spent salmon
Word Origin for slat
C19: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for slat
slat
late 14c., earlier sclat (c.1300), "a roofing slate, a thin, flat stone," from Old French esclat "split piece, chip, splinter" (Modern French éclat), back-formation from esclater "to break, splinter, burst," probably from Frankish *slaitan "to tear, slit" or some other Germanic source (cf. Old High German slizan, Old English slitan; see slit (v.)). Meaning "long, thin, narrow piece of wood or metal" attested from 1764.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper