US /ʃɪst/ UK /ʃɪst/
noun Freq #73211

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a coarse-grained metamorphic rock whose aligned platy minerals allow it to split into thin layers

    The road cutting exposed bands of mica-rich schist beneath the younger sediment.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a coarse-grained... foliated metamorphic rock
Word family
Forms schists
Derived forms schistoseschistosityschistous
Related forms metamorphic rockgneissslatemica

Etymology

Borrowed from French schiste, from Latin schistos lapis, 'split stone,' and ultimately Greek skhistos, 'splittable,' from skhizein, 'to split.' The name refers to the rock's pronounced tendency to cleave along mineral layers.

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