slater

¹ American  

[sley-ter] / ˈsleɪ tər /

noun

1. a person who lays slates, slate, as for roofing.

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Slater ² American  

[sley-ter] / ˈsleɪ tər /

noun

1. Samuel, 1768–1835, U.S. industrialist, born in England.

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slater British  

/ ˈsleɪtə /

noun

1. a person trained in laying roof slates

2. dialect a woodlouse See also sea slater

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Etymology

Origin of slater

First recorded in 1375–1425, slater is from the late Middle English word sclater. See slate ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Louise recounts a slater called John McWilliam, who fled to Stranraer after being accused of witchcraft for a second time, before going on trial in Edinburgh.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2025

He promised an updated list, but more than six month slater, it has yet to appear.

From BBC • May 26, 2025

A slater had given it to him for fifteen francs.

From Bouvard and Pécuchet A Tragi-comic Novel of Bourgeois Life by Flaubert, Gustave

They spent the remainder of the afternoon in estimating the amount of the damage, and they continued the inquiry on the following day with the assistance of the carpenter, the mason, and the slater.

From Bouvard and Pécuchet A Tragi-comic Novel of Bourgeois Life by Flaubert, Gustave

Soon no one stands below any longer looking up; the slater at work is no longer any novelty.

From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 09 Friedrich Hebbel and Otto Ludwig by Various