slate

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A flake or piece of certain types of stone that tend to cleave into thin layers.

   “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.”

2. (countable, uncountable)A flake or piece of certain types of stone that tend to cleave into thin layers.
3. (broadly, countable, uncountable)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.

   “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."”

4. (broadly, countable, uncountable)Synonym of tablet computer (“a hand-held portable computer in the form of a tablet with a touch screen interface”).

   “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 […]”

5. (broadly, countable, uncountable)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”).
6. (broadly, countable, uncountable)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”).
7. (countable, figuratively, uncountable)A record, for example, of money owed.

   “Put it on my slate—I’ll pay you next week.”

8. (US, countable, figuratively, uncountable)A range of things; also, a schedule.

   “The Chairman James Kaplan tended to his busy slate of record and film projects, while Mia, too, actively sought movie work, somewhat to her husband's chagrin.”

   “If it sounds like an impossibly busy slate, it turned out to be just that.”

9. (US, countable, figuratively, uncountable)A collection of films released during a certain period, either from one studio or from a certain film industry (such as Hollywood) as a whole.

   “Like many independents that have established a strong if narrow niche, Central Park says it prospers when "A" titles are in short supply, but Pascuzzi much prefers a crowded slate because of trickle-down economics.”

   “MVL Film Finance LLC (MVL) was created to partially finance Marvel Studios' production of a slate of 10 live-action or animated films based on up to 10 of Marvel's comic book characters[…]”

   “This overcrowded blockbuster slate has led to the death of the respectable mid-budget movie, which has arguably migrated to prestige television along with writers, directors and actors.”

10. (US, countable, figuratively, uncountable)A group or list of candidates for appointment or election to an office; also, a group of candidates or electors with affiliated political views.

    “Ice is one of a slate of young, idealistic candidates for Move Forward who have joined mainstream politics in the hope that this election allows Thailand to break the cycle of military coups […]”

11. (uncountable)A fine-grained homogeneous sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been metamorphosed so that it cleaves easily into thin layers.

    “The Penrhyn slate quarry possibly dates back to the sixteenth century, as it appears that in 1580 Sion Tudor asked the Bishop of Bangor for a shipload of slate.”

12. (uncountable)A fine-grained homogeneous sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been metamorphosed so that it cleaves easily into thin layers.
13. (dated, transitive)Synonym of slating (“a harsh criticism”).

    “[Thomas] Carlyle's savage "slate" of him [Frederick Marryat] is unjust to a degree which can only be palliated by the fact that it was founded on a hasty reading of his books in the evil days after the loss of the manuscript of the French Revolution.”

14. (Northern-England, Scotland, archaic, derogatory, obsolete, rare, transitive)A dirty or slovenly person.

    “Had aff [hold off], quoth ſhe, ye filthy Slate, / Ye ſtink o' Leeks, O figh!”

adj

1. Having the bluish-grey colour of slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 4).

verb

1. (transitive)To cover (a building, or part of a building such as a floor or roof) with slates (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1.1).

   “The old church ledgers show that the roof was slated in 1775.”

2. (US, figuratively, transitive)To write (something) on a writing slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.1).
3. (US, figuratively, transitive)To write (something) on a writing slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.1).

   “The next version of our software is slated to be the best release ever.”

4. (US, figuratively, transitive)To write (something) on a writing slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.1).

   “The election was slated for November 2nd.”

   “The Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber branch had been slated to transfer from Northern into the East Midlands franchise, but this move is still awaiting a DfT decision.”

5. (transitive)To provide synchronization information about (a scene, take, etc., of a film recording) using a slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.3.1).

   “Why You Want to Slate your Shots”

6. (transitive)To scrape (an animal hide) with a slater (“blade originally made of slate”) to remove hairs.
7. (intransitive)To cover a building, or part of a building with slates (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1.1).
8. (intransitive)To provide a film recording with synchronization information, especially using a slate (noun etymology 1, noun sense 2.3.1).
9. (transitive)To scold (someone) harshly; to chastise, to excoriate, to lambaste.

   “"I'm awfully sorry if I gave it to her too hot; she deserved it; but i did not want to be a brute." / "But you were," said Pattie with grave regret. / "If I was, Val slated me hard enough. So we may cry quits over that!" said Gip, her gleam of repentance passing into space and her naughty passions once more triumphant.”

10. (UK, transitive)To scold (someone) harshly; to chastise, to excoriate, to lambaste.

    “The play was slated by the critics.”

    “It makes me mad to hear that wretched Mouse, when he wants to slate a very good novel, declare that there is no romance in real life.”

11. (slang, transitive)To treat (an enemy) harshly.

    “Now we shall get "slated," I thought, if there is any one there: a few good shots might have picked off every one on deck.”

12. (slang, transitive)To beat or thrash (someone) harshly.

    “"Does John Barker live here?" asks Thurnall, putting his head in cautiously for fear of drunken Irishmen, who might be seized with the national impulse to "slate" him.”

13. (UK, obsolete, transitive)To knock the hat of (someone) forward over their eyes as a joke.
14. (Northern-England, Scotland, transitive)To set (one or more dogs) on a person or animal; to sic.
15. (Northern-England, Scotland, transitive)To set one or more dogs on (a person or animal).

name

1. A surname.