slate
/sleɪt/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.82 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A flake or piece of certain types of stone that tend to cleave into thin layers.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A flake or piece of certain types of stone that tend to cleave into thin layers.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A generally rectangular piece, originally of certain types of stone and now of other materials, often in a frame, used for writing on with a thin rod of the same or another stone (a slate pencil) or with chalk; a small chalkboard.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Synonym of tablet computer (“a hand-held portable computer in the form of a tablet with a touch screen interface”).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Synonym of clapperboard (“a device consisting of a board on which information about a film being recorded is noted, and a hinged piece which is brought down on the board with a clap at the start and end of each take of the film; it is used to synchronize picture and sound during editing”).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Synonym of clapperboard (“a device consisting of a board on which information about a film being recorded is noted, and a hinged piece which is brought down on the board with a clap at the start and end of each take of the film; it is used to synchronize picture and sound during editing”).
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Some of the minor Welsh 2 ft. gauge railways, we hear from Mr. N. F. G. Dalston, are enjoying a miniature boom owing to the demand for slate for the repair of damaged roofs."
- "In 1765 only 80 men were employed, and the annual output of slates did not exceed 1,000 tons, and large-scale quarrying was not begun by Lord Penrhyn until 1782."
- "The necessary works were extensive and included replacing missing and damaged slates and other roof repairs (in order to make the building watertight), pointing and drainpipe replacement, and extensive replacement of rotten floorboarding."
- "He wrote all down one side of the slate and all up the other, and then remarked--"As there's no time to finish that, The time has come to have our chat.""
- "Hearing Steve Ballmer and others talk about the availability of Windows 8 on slates, laptops, netbooks, notebooks, and screens from 7 to 70 inches might lead us to believe that Microsoft is attempting to gain market share solely through […]"
- "Put it on my slate—I’ll pay you next week."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /sleɪt/
- British English: /sleɪt/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- American usage
- Transitive verb
- Intransitive verb
- British usage
- Slang
- Obsolete