Slate \Slate\, n. [OE. slat, OF. esclat a shiver, splinter, F.
['e]clat, fr. OF. esclater to shiver, to chip, F. ['e]clater,
fr. OHG. sliezen to tear, slit, split, fr. sl[=i]zan to slit,
G. schleissen. See Slit, v. t., and cf. Eclat.]
1. (Min.) An argillaceous rock which readily splits into thin
plates; argillite; argillaceous schist.
2. Any rock or stone having a slaty structure.
3. A prepared piece of such stone. Especially:
(a) A thin, flat piece, for roofing or covering houses,
etc.
(b) A tablet for writing upon.
4. An artificial material, resembling slate, and used for the
above purposes.
5. A thin plate of any material; a flake. [Obs.]
6. (Politics) A list of candidates, prepared for nomination
or for election; a list of candidates, or a programme of
action, devised beforehand. [Cant, U.S.]
--Bartlett.
Adhesive slate (Min.), a kind of slate of a greenish gray
color, which absorbs water rapidly, and adheres to the
tongue; whence the name.
Aluminous slate, or Alum slate (Min.), a kind of slate
containing sulphate of alumina, -- used in the manufacture
of alum.
Bituminous slate (Min.), a soft species of sectile clay
slate, impregnated with bitumen.
Hornblende slate (Min.), a slaty rock, consisting
essentially of hornblende and feldspar, useful for
flagging on account of its toughness.
Slate ax or axe, a mattock with an ax end, used in
shaping slates for roofs, and making holes in them for the
nails.
Slate clay (Geol.), an indurated clay, forming one of the
alternating beds of the coal measures, consisting of an
infusible compound of alumina and silica, and often used
for making fire bricks. --Tomlinson.
Slate globe, a globe the surface of which is made of an
artificial slatelike material.
Slate pencil, a pencil of slate, or of soapstone, used for
writing on a slate.
Slate rocks (Min.), rocks which split into thin lamin[ae],
not necessarily parallel to the stratification; foliated
rocks.
Slate spar (Min.), a variety of calcite of silvery white
luster and of a slaty structure.
Transparent slate, a plate of translucent material, as
ground glass, upon which a copy of a picture, placed
beneath it, can be made by tracing.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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