shale

(s̸hāl)

noun

a kind of fine-grained, thinly bedded sedimentary rock formed largely by the hardening of clay: it splits easily into thin layers

Origin: < ME, lit., shell < OE scealu, shell

See shale in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A fissile rock composed of layers of claylike, fine-grained sediments.

Origin:

Origin: Probably from Middle English, shell

Origin: , from Old English scealu; see skel-¹ in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

Learn more about shale

shale synonyms

shale Culture

shale science

shale in a sentence

Related Articles

Sedimentary Rock Examples

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD