I. ˈslab noun
Etymology: Middle English slabbe
Date: 14th century
1. : a thick plate or slice (as of stone, wood, or bread): as
a. : the outside piece cut from a log in squaring it
b. : concrete pavement (as of a road) ; specifically : a strip of concrete pavement laid as a single unjointed piece
c.
(1) : a flat rectangular architectural element that is usually formed of a single piece or mass
a concrete foundation slab
(2) : a rectangular building having little width with respect to its length and usually height
2. : something that resembles a slab (as in size, shape, or density)
backed up by a solid slab of reference material — Times Literary Supplement
• slab·like -ˌlīk adjective
II. transitive verb
( slabbed ; slab·bing )
Date: 1703
1.
a. : to remove an outer slab from (as a log)
b. : to divide or form into slabs
2. : to cover or support (as a roadbed or roof) with slabs
3. : to put on thickly
III. adjective
Etymology: akin to Middle English slabben to wallow, obsolete Danish slab muck
Date: 1605
dialect chiefly England : thick , viscous