shale

views updated May 08 2018

shale Fine-grained, fissile, sedimentary rock composed of clay-sized and silt-sized particles of unspecified mineral composition. The noun may be qualified by an adjective(e.g. black shale, paper shale, and oil shale).

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

shale

views updated May 11 2018

shale / shāl/ • n. soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile slabs.DERIVATIVES: shal·y (also shal·ey) adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

shale

views updated May 29 2018

A Dictionary of Ecology MICHAEL ALLABY

shale

views updated Jun 11 2018

shale XVIII prob. — G. schale (not used in this sense, but cf. schalstein laminated limestone, schalgebirge mountain system of thin strata) = OE. sċ(e)alu SCALE1..
So shaly (-Y1) XVII.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

shale

views updated May 23 2018

shale Common sedimentary rock formed from mud or clay. Characterized by very fine layering, it may contain various materials such as fossils, carbonaceous matter and oil.

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