shale

shale
noun Etymology: probably from obsolete or dialect shale scale, shell, from Middle English, from Old English scealu — more at shell Date: 1747 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 also shaly adjective

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Shale — (also called mudstone) is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clay minerals or muds. It is characterized by thin laminae [cite encyclopedia title = shale encyclopedia = Chambers Dictionary of Science and Technology… …   Wikipedia

  • Shalë — Shalë …   Wikipedia Español

  • Shale — Shale, n. [AS. scealy, scalu. See {Scalme}, and cf. {Shell}.] 1. A shell or husk; a cod or pod. The green shales of a bean. Chapman. [1913 Webster] 2. [G. shale.] (Geol.) A fine grained sedimentary rock of a thin, laminated, and often friable,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shale — Shale, v. t. To take off the shell or coat of; to shell. [1913 Webster] Life, in its upper grades, was bursting its shell, or was shaling off its husk. I. Taylor. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shale — [ʃeıl] n [U] [: Old English; Origin: scealu shell, scale ] a smooth soft rock which breaks easily into thin flat pieces …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • shale — [ ʃeıl ] noun uncount a type of smooth dark rock that breaks into thin layers …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • shale — (n.) 1747, possibly a specialized use of M.E. schale shell, husk, pod (late 14c.), also fish scale, from O.E. scealu (see SHELL (Cf. shell)) in its base sense of thing that divides or separate, in reference to the way the rock breaks apart in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • shale — ► NOUN ▪ soft stratified sedimentary rock formed from consolidated mud or clay. DERIVATIVES shaly (also shaley) adjective. ORIGIN probably from German Schale …   English terms dictionary

  • shale — [shāl] n. [< ME, lit., shell < OE scealu, SHELL] a kind of fine grained, thinly bedded sedimentary rock formed largely by the hardening of clay: it splits easily into thin layers: cf. MUDSTONE …   English World dictionary

  • shale — shalelike, shaley, adj. /shayl/, n. a rock of fissile or laminated structure formed by the consolidation of clay or argillaceous material. [1740 50; orig. uncert.; cf. obs. shale to split (said of stone), to shell, deriv. of shale shell, husk, OE …   Universalium

  • Shale — A type of sedimentary rock found in the earth s crust composed chiefly of a combination of silt and clay. A great deal of the earth s usable fossil fuels are found in shale formations. There are many different types of shale, such as oil shale… …   Investment dictionary

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