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slate

1
[ sleyt ]
/ sleɪt /
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See synonyms for: slate / slated / slating on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object), slat·ed, slat·ing.
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Idioms about slate

    clean slate, an unsullied record; a record marked by creditable conduct: to start over with a clean slate.

Origin of slate

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sclate, from Middle French esclate, feminine of esclat “piece split off”; see slat1

Other definitions for slate (2 of 2)

slate2
[ sleyt ]
/ sleɪt /

verb (used with object), slat·ed, slat·ing.British Dialect.
to sic or set a dog on (a person or animal).

Origin of slate

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English slaiten, from Old Norse sleita (unrecorded)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slate (1 of 2)

slate1
/ (sleɪt) /

noun
verb (tr)
adjective
of the colour slate

Word Origin for slate

C14: from Old French esclate, from esclat a fragment; see slat 1

British Dictionary definitions for slate (2 of 2)

slate2
/ (sleɪt) /

verb (tr) informal, mainly British
to criticize harshly; censure
to punish or defeat severely

Word Origin for slate

C19: probably from slate 1
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

Scientific definitions for slate

slate
[ slāt ]

A fine-grained metamorphic rock that forms when shale undergoes metamorphosis. Slate splits into thin layers with smooth surfaces. It ranges in color from gray to black or from red to green, depending on the minerals contained in the shale from which it formed.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with slate

slate

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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