a slab of stone or wood suitable for bearing an inscription
"The archaeologists carefully brushed away centuries of dust from the ancient tablet to reveal the faded cuneiform script beneath."
a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
"She opened her tablet to find the blank pages waiting for her essay."
A slab of clay used for inscription.
"The ancient scribe carefully etched the laws onto a wet clay tablet before it hardened in the sun."
In plain English: A tablet is a flat, portable computer with a touchscreen that you hold in your hands.
"He opened his tablet to read the news while waiting for the bus."
To form (a drug, etc.) into tablets.
"The pharmacist will soon be able to manufacture a new version of the medication that can be tabletized for easier swallowing."
In plain English: To tablet something means to turn it into a solid block of material.
"We need to tablet the soil before planting the seeds."
Usage: As a verb, tablet specifically means to compress medicine or other substances into solid pill shapes; do not use it as a general synonym for eating food or reading on an electronic device. This term is almost exclusively used in pharmaceutical and manufacturing contexts rather than daily conversation about consuming meals.
The word tablet comes from the Old French term tablete, which is a small version of the word for "table." It entered English through Middle English to describe a flat piece of material used as a writing surface.