slat

Old French esclat. Doublet of slate and éclat.

• IPA^(key): /slæt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -æt

slat (plural slats)

1. A thin, narrow strip or bar of wood (lath), metal, or plastic; spline.

   slats of a window blind

   • 2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Picador, →ISBN, page 208:

     To keep people out, the Nature Conservancy, which owns the cave, has blocked off the entrance with huge iron slats.

2. (aviation) A control surface that extends forwards and downwards from the leading edge of a wing, leaving a gap between it and the leading edge, in order to modify the airflow around the wing so as to allow flight at a higher angle of attack without stalling, lowering the aircraft's stall speed.
3. (skiing, slang) A ski.
   • 2005, Richard V. Shriver, Gold to Refine, page 31:

     I never got down that hill without losing at least one of my skis! Clarence didn't lose his slats. The straps went over his boots and held them in place. If he fell, he risked breaking a foot or leg, but the slats stayed on.

4. A thin piece of stone; a slate.

• slatback
• slatless

slat (third-person singular simple present slats, present participle slatting, simple past and past participle slatted)

1. To construct or provide with slats.
2. To slap or strike; to beat, pummel; to hurl or throw down violently.
   • c. 1603 (date written), Iohn Marston, The Malcontent, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for William Aspley, […], published 1604, →OCLC, Act IV, scene iii:

     Men[dozo]. How did you kill him? / Mal[evole]. Slatted his braines out, then ſowſt him in the brinie ſea. / Men. Braind him and drownd him too?

3. (British, dialectal) To split; to crack.
   • 1609, Ammianus Marcellinus, translated by Philemon Holland, The Roman Historie, […], London: […] Adam Jslip, →OCLC:

     Both head-peeces and habergeons were slat and dashed a peeces.

4. To set on; to incite.

• Alts, LTAs, SALT, Salt, TLAs, alts, last, lats, salt

From Middle Irish slat, from Proto-Celtic *slattā (“stalk, staff”). Cognate with Welsh llath.

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /sˠl̪ˠɑt̪ˠ/^[1]
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /sˠlɑt̪ˠ/^[2]
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /sˠl̪ˠat̪ˠ/, [sˠl̪ˠaːt̪ˠ]^[3]
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /sˠl̪ˠat̪ˠ/^[4][5]

slat f (genitive singular slaite, nominative plural slata or slatacha)

1. rod, stick

   Synonyms: bata, maide

2. cane, switch

   Synonym: cána

3. wand
4. (vulgar) dick, cock (penis)

   Synonym: bod

5. yard (unit of measure)

   Synonym: cleith

• Alternative strong plural form: slatacha

• slata Napier
• slat bhrataí (“jack-staff”)

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “slat”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

slāt

1. first/third-person singular preterite of slītan

From Middle Irish slat, from Proto-Celtic *slattā (“stalk, staff”). Cognate with Welsh llath.

• IPA^(key): /sˠl̪ˠaht/

slat f (genitive singular slait or slaite, plural slatan)

1. stick, rod, twig, switch, wand
2. yard (unit of length)
3. (vulgar, slang, anatomy) penis

• iadh-shlat
• slat-tomhais

• mìle (“mile”)
• òirleach (“inch”)
• troigh (“foot”)