shale

[sheyl]

noun

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

shale

/ ʃeɪl /

noun

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

shale

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

1. A sedimentary rock formed from layers of clay.

Other Word Forms

• shalelike adjective
• shaley adjective
• shaly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shale¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shale¹

Old English scealu _shell ; compare German Schalstein laminated limestone; see _scale ¹ , _scale ²

Example Sentences

Around $51 Brent oil prices, many U.S. shale producers would have to slow output because they wouldn’t be making enough money, she notes.

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Around $51 Brent oil prices, many U.S. shale producers would have to slow output because they wouldn’t be making enough money, she notes.

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A much-touted nuclear renaissance in the early 2000s fizzled when electricity demand flattened and the shale boom delivered abundant, cheap natural gas.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At the time, money was flowing into non-producing onshore U.S. shale acreage.

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For U.S. shale companies, a sustained time period of sub-$50 prices would make it very difficult for most to drill profitably, said Gildea.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• sediment