Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “slate” come from?

slate (Middle English) comes from Old French esclate, from Old French esclater, from Frankish slaitan, from Proto-Germanic slaitijaną, from Proto-Germanic slītaną, from Proto-Indo-European sleyd-.

Ancestry of “slate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchesclate—
2Old Frenchesclaterto separate from, sunder out
3Frankishslaitanto split, break
4Proto-Germanicslaitijaną—
5Proto-Germanicslītanąto tear apart
6Proto-Indo-Europeansleyd-—

Words derived from “slate”

  • slate
  • slaty
  • slatestone
  • slatelike
  • slatiness
  • slaten
  • reslate
  • slatily
  • digislate
  • slateless
  • isileti
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sleyd- →