roofing tile
- noun
- /ˈruːfɪŋ taɪl/
- Specialized
- Your roof will be the first line of defense against snow, rain, and ice, so making sure that roofing tiles are in good shape and are secured is essential.
Examples
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To improve energy efficiency, homeowners are opting for solar panels that can be integrated into roofing tiles.
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And they even have such such elements preserved as these roof tiles that you can see here on the right hand side.
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Mary found some old roofing tiles and some carpet remnants.
Fiction book (1998) -
They also loaded up the buildings with cobblestones and roof tiles and other things that unarmed protesters could hurl down at the soldiers.
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But from the time Phin turned thirteen, he had tried to jazz it up, had bled out the air, had baked and fired, with the result that now his head rattled with potsherds and jagged bits of roofing tile.
Fiction book (1990) -
The workers carefully installed the new roofing tiles to ensure the house would be protected from rain.
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After the storm, we inspected the roofing tiles to check for any damage that could lead to leaks.
Synonyms
A flat thin piece of hard material used to cover floors, walls, or roofs
A thin flat piece of wood or slate used to cover a roof
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'roofing' specifies the function/material related to roofs and 'tile' names the flat covering unit, so together they denote a tile used for roofing. This noun–noun compounding follows a common, transparent pattern found across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Roofing tile comes from the simple idea of a tile placed on a roof to keep out rain and wind. These thin, flat or curved pieces are laid so they 'cover' and 'protect' a house, so the name means 'a piece used to cover roofs'.