Slat
/slæt/noun
A thin, narrow strip of wood, metal, or other material used as part of a structure or covering.
Did you know?Slat comes from a Germanic root meaning “to split,” which is why it’s linguistically tied to words for breaking apart rather than building up.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*slat-
“to split, cleave”
Old English
OE
sclat
“a splitting or sliver; a narrow strip”
Middle English
ME
slat
“a thin strip or lath”
Modern English
English
slat
“a thin, narrow strip used in a structure or covering”