What does slatting mean?
Slatting is an uncommon English noun with two connected uses. In its older, distinctly literary sense, it means a beating administered with a slat—a narrow strip of wood, sometimes one of several used for the punishment. The word can also refer to the work of fitting slats to a surface, as in the slatting of a bench, chair, bed, or wall. The construction sense is transparent and may be encountered in woodworking, furniture, and architectural contexts, while the punitive sense is chiefly historical or specialized. Because slatting is uncommon outside those settings, a modern reader may initially interpret it simply as the act of installing wooden strips. In older literature, however, context usually makes the harsher sense clear. The term ultimately comes from slat, an English word for a thin strip of wood, with the ending -ing added to form the gerund and then the noun.
nounSlatting is the act of beating someone with a slat, a narrow strip of wood. It can also refer more generally to the work of fitting slats to a structure.
- A beating administered with a wooden slat.
- The process or work of fitting slats to a structure.
"The account describes the prisoners being subjected to a brutal punishment known as slatting."
"The account describes a brutal punishment known as slatting."
"The carpenter began slatting the wall before applying the finish."
Rare; the noun is more often used without a plural.
"The records mention several slattings during that period."
Slatting can mean a humble construction job—or, in older usage, a painful punishment with wooden strips.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slatting come from?
The noun slatting is an English formation in slat plus -ing. Slat is a Middle English word for a thin, narrow strip of wood and was also associated with the verb meaning to beat with such a strip; its ultimate origin is uncertain. The punishment sense developed from the use of a slat as an instrument, while the construction sense developed from the use of slats in making and furnishing objects.
Related word forms
How slatting is actually used
The punishment sense is literary, archaic, or specialized rather than ordinary contemporary usage. The construction sense is a transparent gerundic noun and is uncommon in formal prose.
Easily confused with slatting
Slatting involves fitting narrow wooden strips, whereas slating usually means covering a roof with stone slates.