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slat

 - 4 dictionary results

slat

1[slat] noun, verb, slat⋅ted, slat⋅ting.
–noun
1. 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.
2. Aeronautics. a control surface along the leading edge of a wing that can be extended forward to create a gap (slot) to improve airflow.
3. slats, Slang.
a. the ribs.
b. the buttocks.
c. (initial capital letter) a nickname for a tall, slender man.
–verb (used with object)
4. to furnish or make with slats.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME sclat, slatt a slate < MF esclat splinter, fragment; see éclat

slat

2[slat] verb, slat⋅ted, slat⋅ting, noun Chiefly British Dialect
–verb (used with object)
1. to throw or dash with force.
–verb (used without object)
2. to flap violently, as sails.
–noun
3. a slap; a sharp blow.

Origin:
1815–25; < ON sletta to splash, strike
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To slat
slat   (slāt)   
n.  
  1. A narrow strip of metal or wood, as in a Venetian blind.

  2. A movable auxiliary airfoil running along the leading edge of the wing of an airplane.

  3. slats Slang The ribs.

tr.v.   slat·ted, slat·ting, slats
To provide or make with slats: slatting the back of a chair.

[Middle English sclat, from Old French esclat, splinter, probably of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

slat 
1382, "a roofing slate," from O.Fr. esclat "split piece, splinter," back-formation from esclater "to break, splinter, burst," probably from Frank. *slaitan "to tear, slit," related to O.H.G. slizan, O.E. slitan (see slit). Meaning "long, thin, narrow piece of wood or metal" attested from 1764.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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