# slat

> English word · Noun · IPA /slæt/ · frequency rank #63,253

## Definitions
1. A thin, narrow strip or bar of wood (lath), metal, or plastic.
2. 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. A ski.
4. A thin piece of stone; a slate.
5. A drop (of rain or water), a splash.

## Etymology
From Middle English slatte, sklatte, sklat, sclat, from Old French esclat (“piece broken or split off, shiver, splinter”), from Old French esclater (“to split, burst”), from Frankish *slaitijan (“to split, break”), from Proto-Germanic *slītaną (“to rend, split”). Doublet of slate and éclat.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/slat