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shale
[ sheyl ]
/ ÊeÉȘl /
See the most commonly confused word associated with mudstone
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noun
a rock of fissile or laminated structure formed by the consolidation of clay or argillaceous material.
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Origin of shale
1740â50; origin uncertain; compare obsolete shale to split (said of stone), to shell, derivative of shale shell, husk, Old English scealu shell, husk; see scale2
OTHER WORDS FROM shale
shalelike, shaley, adjectiveWords nearby shale
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shale in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for shale
shale
/ (ÊeÉȘl) /
noun
a dark fine-grained laminated sedimentary rock formed by compression of successive layers of clay-rich sediment
Derived forms of shale
shaly, adjectiveWord Origin for shale
Old English scealu shell; compare German Schalstein laminated limestone; see scale 1, scale ÂČ
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for shale
shale
[ shÄl ]
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.
The American HeritageÂź Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for shale
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.