Slaty

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Slaty \Slat"y\, a. [From {Slate}.]
     Resembling slate; having the nature, appearance, or
     properties, of slate; composed of thin parallel plates,
     capable of being separated by splitting; as, a slaty color or
     texture.
     [1913 Webster]


  
     {Slaty cleavage} (Min.), cleavage, as of rocks, into thin
        leaves or plates, like those of slate; -- applied
        especially to those cases in which the planes of cleavage
        are not parallel to the planes of stratification. It is
        now believed to be caused by the compression which the
        strata have undergone.
  
     {Slaty gneiss} (Min.), a variety of gneiss in which the
        scales of mica or crystals of hornblende, which are
        usually minute, form thin laminae, rendering the rock
        easily cleavable.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  slaty
       adj 1: resembling or containing slate [syn: {slatey}]
       2: of the color of slate or granite; "the slaty sky of dawn"
          [syn: {slate-gray}, {slatey}, {stone-gray}]
       [also: {slatiest}, {slatier}]