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.
The local Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and climate activists were pitted against the corporate and government backers of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which was being built to carry oil from the state's Bakken shale fields to a terminal in Illinois. James K. Boyce, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2018 Pundits have crowed for some time that U.S. shale production could eliminate the country’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Jim Krane, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2014 His Poetry vineyard is carved into the hillside and faces west to receive the last rays of sun from each day and the soils are volcanic at the surface with fragmented shale just a few feet below. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2025 With oil in the $70s, though, growth in the US has explicitly slowed, with US shale showing a negligible year-over-year increase in production. Mark Le Dain, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024 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 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

shale

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

More from Merriam-Webster on shale

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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