I. slate 1 /sleɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: esclat 'thin piece split off' , from esclater 'to burst, splinter' ]
1 . ROCK [uncountable] a dark grey rock that can easily be split into flat thin pieces
2 . ON A ROOF [countable] especially British English a small piece of slate or similar material that is used for covering roofs SYN tile :
There were several slates missing from the roof.
3 . slate blue/grey a dark blue or grey colour
4 . POLITICS [countable] a list of people that voters can choose in an election, or who are being considered for an important job
5 . FOR WRITING ON [countable] a small black board or a flat piece of slate in a wooden frame, used for writing on in the past
6 . put something on the slate British English old-fashioned to arrange to pay for something later, especially food or drink
⇨ a clean slate at ↑ clean 1 (9)
II. slate 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
1 . British English informal to criticize a book, film etc severely, especially in a newspaper SYN slam :
Doherty’s most recent novel has been slated by the critics.
2 . be slated to do something/be slated for something especially American English
if something is slated to happen, it is planned to happen in the future, especially at a particular time:
He is slated to appear at the Cambridge Jazz Festival next year.
Every house on this block is slated for demolition.