shale

American  

[sheyl] / ʃeɪl /

noun

1. a rock of fissile or laminated structure formed by the consolidation of clay or argillaceous material.

---

shale British  

/ ʃeɪl /

noun

1. a dark fine-grained laminated sedimentary rock formed by compression of successive layers of clay-rich sediment

---

shale Scientific  

/ shāl /

1. A fine-grained sedimentary rock consisting of compacted and hardened clay, silt, or mud. Shale forms in many distinct layers and splits easily into thin sheets or slabs. It varies in color from black or gray to brown or red.

---

shale Cultural  

1. A sedimentary rock formed from layers of clay.

---

Other Word Forms

• shalelike adjective
• shaley adjective
• shaly adjective

Etymology

Origin of shale

1740–50; origin uncertain; compare obsolete shale to split (said of stone), to shell, derivative of shale shell, husk, Old English scealu shell, husk; scale ²

Compare meaning

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

• mudstone vs. shale

Example Sentences

A surge in domestic natural gas supplies unleashed by the shale boom undercut coal’s economics, as did cheap renewables, while state environmental policies accelerated the shift away from coal.

From The Wall Street Journal

Competition in oil and gas produced the shale revolution, which dramatically increased output, but equity returns disappointed.

From Barron's

The area is rich in natural gas from deposits known as the Marcellus and Utica shale.

From Barron's

Energy-focused private-equity firms also have benefited from a recent wave of large mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. shale industry to buy the noncore oil fields that energy companies often shed after M&A deals.

From The Wall Street Journal

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview that the industry needs to find the right technologies to extract more fossil fuels and expand the shale revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• sediment