shale

noun

ˈshāl 

: a fissile rock that is formed by the consolidation of clay, mud, or silt, has a finely stratified or laminated structure, and is composed of minerals essentially unaltered since deposition

shaley adjective

or less commonly shaly

ˈshā-lē 

Examples of shale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mexico holds over 140 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) of unconventional gas resources, mostly in northern shale or tight sand basins. — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

The shale oil boom was revolutionized in part by drilling vertically and then horizontally to dig deeper into the subsurface and crack open more shale rock to release the liquids inside. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026

Argentina’s shale output is up 28% year-on-year as the country’s pivot to become an energy supplier — rather than buyer — gathers pace. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Carbon dioxide and methane levels in the samples prove these organisms then began feeding on the shale itself. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from obsolete or dialect shale scale, shell, from Middle English, from Old English scealu — more at shell

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing shale

• oil shale
• shale oil

Rhymes for shale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

shale

noun

ˈshā(ə)l 

: a rock with a fine grain formed from clay, mud, or silt

shaley

ˈshā-lē 

adjective