shale

American  

[sheyl] / ʃeɪl /

noun

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

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shale British  

/ ʃeɪl /

noun

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

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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.

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shale Cultural  

1. A sedimentary rock formed from layers of clay.

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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; see scale ²

Compare meaning

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

• mudstone vs. shale

Example Sentences

International shale drilling is one of the more interesting plays.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Unlike the U.S., where shale companies need American oil prices to hover around $60 to justify their investment in drilling, the U.A.E. can produce barrels for cheap.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

In the U.S., this also included initiatives that ultimately led to the shale revolution 30 years later — and landed the U.S. as the world’s top producer of crude.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

Sheffield, whose company specializes in the shale drilling that made the U.S. the world’s largest oil producer, said he wants to see if Venezuela has similar resources.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

The shale, in particular, breaks into perfect building blocks with the tap of the hammer in the right place.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• sediment