Slatier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having more of the texture or flaky, splittable quality of slate rock ; having a darker, bluish-grey shade like that of slate
2. More closely resembling slate stone in how it looks or breaks apart ; more dark bluish-grey in colour, like wet slate
3. Showing a greater likeness to slate in its layered, cleavable form ; appearing a deeper shade of blue-grey like slate tiles

Etymology: "Slatier" is simply the comparative of "slaty", meaning more slaty: more like slate in its flaky, splittable texture or its dark bluish-grey colour. The comparative is built by adding "-ier" to "slaty", which itself comes from "slate" plus the suffix "-y", so the word's history is essentially that of "slate" with a common adjective ending attached. The suffix "-y" traces back through Middle English "-y" and Old English "-ig", a sense of "full of" or "having the quality of", descending from a Proto-Germanic form. Attaching it to "slate" produced the adjective "slaty", and the comparative "-ier" then follows the usual pattern for adjectives ending in "-y", where the "y" changes to "i" before the comparative ending.

Synonyms: slatelike