Slate
/sleɪt/noun
A fine-grained metamorphic rock that splits into thin layers, or a flat piece made from it for writing or roofing.
Did you know?Slate became a writing surface long before it was a roofing material, and its name passed through French from a Latin word for a split stone, showing how everyday tools can preserve ancient craft vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
sclāte
“A slate or slate-like stone; a splittable stone used as a surface or tile.”
Old French
OF
esclate
“A splinter, chip, or fragment; also a piece of broken stone.”
Late Latin
LL
splatta
“A split piece or splinter of stone (reconstructed/attested in medieval forms).”
Latin
LA
splittus?
“No secure classical Latin ancestor is certain; the medieval word appears to be tied to the idea of splitting.”
Modern English
EN
slate
“A fine-grained rock that breaks into flat sheets, and by extension a roofing tile or writing tablet.”