slatter

S1L1A1T1T1E1R1

verb

To be awkward, careless, or negligent, especially with regard to dress and neatness.

OriginMiddle English sclatten ← Old English slǣtan ← Old Norse sletta →
RareScrabble 7
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Meanings

slatter1

verbslatter (third-person singular simple present slatters, present participle slattering, simple past and past participle slattered)

present singular third person slatters · participle present slattering · participle past slattered · past slattered

  1. intransitiveTo be awkward, careless, or negligent, especially with regard to dress and neatness.
  2. intransitiveTo be wasteful.

    A ſoſſe-bangle; a ſluttiſh, ſlattering, lazy VVench, a ruſtic VVord, only uſed by the Vulgar.

    1768, J[ohn] Ray, “[A Collection of English Words Not Generally Used.] South and East Country Words.”, in A Compleat Collection of English Proverbs: […], 4th edition, London: […] W. Otridge, […], →OCLC, page 87

Slatter2

proper nounSlatter (plural Slatters)

plural Slatters

  1. A surname.

Origin

slatter · verb

  1. Old Norsesletta“to slap, dash”
  2. Old Englishslǣtan“to sic”
  3. Middle Englishsclatten
  4. Englishslatter

From English dialectal slat (“to throw or dash about”), from Middle English sclatten, skleatten (“to flap”), from Old English slǣtan (“to sic”) and/or Old Norse sletta (“to slap, dash”) + -er.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Slatter · proper noun

Variant of Slater.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

starletStatlertelstarstartleStalter
Cite this entry
APA

slatter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slatter

MLA

“slatter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slatter. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “slatter,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slatter.

Source: slatter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.