schist

American  

[shist] / ʃɪst /

noun

1. any of a class of crystalline metamorphic rocks whose constituent mineral grains have a more or less parallel or foliated arrangement.

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schist British  

/ ʃɪˈstɒsɪtɪ, ʃɪst /

noun

1. any metamorphic rock that can be split into thin layers because its micaceous minerals have become aligned in thin parallel bands

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schist Scientific  

/ shĭst /

1. A highly foliated, medium-grained metamorphic rock that splits easily into flakes or slabs along well-defined planes of mica. The mineral composition of schist is varied and is often reflected in the name given to the rock. For example, a schist that contains garnet is called a garnet schist. A schist containing chlorite is called a chlorite schist.

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Other Word Forms

• schistose adjective
• schistosity noun

Etymology

Origin of schist

1775–85; < New Latin schistus, Latin ( lapis ) schistos < Greek schistós divided, curdled, divisible, derivative of schízein to split, with -tos adj. suffix

Compare meaning

How does schist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• schist vs. gneiss

Example Sentences

Crystals within the Manhattan schist of New York City link urban modernity to deep antiquity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

The base layer of the PV cake is Catalina schist.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2024

Bronze Age ceramics, the oldest pieces in the show, are shown alongside miniature paintings, silver plates and a large variety of sculptures in stucco and schist rock.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2022

But this one is lean and focused — it seems to speak directly from the schist vineyard soils.

From Washington Post • Aug. 18, 2022

Moving slowly but steadily, I made a rising leftward traverse across the top of the Lhotse Face, then ascended a prow of shattered black schist called the Geneva Spur.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer