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

Then, in the early 2010s, fracking and horizontal drilling technology unlocked the deposits hiding in the shale bed and unleashed vast wealth that went beyond the county residents’ wildest dreams. —Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025

Fracking companies spent twice their free cash flow in 2016, raising the rest from shareholders left with little to show when the shale boom ran out of steam. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025

This growth is a continuance of the surge in oil production resulting from the shale boom that began earlier this century. —Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

The natural rate of decline in output from the world's oil and gas fields is speeding up, owing to more reliance on shale and deep offshore resources, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday. —Seher Dareen, Reuters, 15 Sep. 2025

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