shale

noun

: 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

Examples of shale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its back nine is carved into an old shale quarry – several of the holes are quirky but in a lovable way – and its final holes finish right on the edge of Little Traverse Bay. Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 Moreover, although virtually unseen at the time, technological advances were beginning to unlock the oil lodged in very dense shale rocks, something that petroleum textbooks had previously said was commercially impossible. Daniel Yergin, Time, 20 June 2026 The financier started in trading before moving through mergers and acquisitions, treasury, and senior finance roles across Shell’s upstream and shale businesses. Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 June 2026 The method focuses on recovering these additional resources in shale and other tight reservoirs that have already produced hydrocarbons through hydraulic fracturing in primary recovery operations but still contain large amounts of oil and gas trapped within rocks. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for shale

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of shale was in 1747

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shale. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

shale

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

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