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slate
1[ sleyt ]
/ sleɪt /
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noun
verb (used with object), slat·ed, slat·ing.
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Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Idioms about slate
clean slate, an unsullied record; a record marked by creditable conduct: to start over with a clean slate.
Origin of slate
1First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sclate, from Middle French esclate, feminine of esclat “piece split off”; see slat1
Words nearby slate
slash-saw, Śląsk, slat, slat back, slatch, slate, slate black, slate blue, slate-colored junco, slated, slate gray
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
2First 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.