shale

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ʃeɪl/ UK /ʃeɪl/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like sale /s/ vs /ʃ/ Sounds like sail /s/ vs /ʃ/

Freq #28128

Meanings

1

noun
a fine-grained sedimentary rock formed by compacted clay, mud, or silt, typically laminated and able to split into thin layers

The road cut exposed thin beds of dark shale between layers of sandstone.
2

noun
oil or gas production from shale formations, or the companies involved in that industry

Investment in United States shale increased after energy prices rose.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a fine-grained sedimentary... fissile mudrock

2 noun · oil or gas production from... shale industryshale production

Word family

Derived forms shalyshaleyshalelike

Related forms mudstoneclaystoneslatesedimentary rockoil shaleshale oil

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

oil shale
shale containing material from which oil can be produced by heating

Noun + noun

Etymology

Probably from obsolete or dialectal shale ("scale, shell"), from Middle English and Old English scealu ("shell, husk"). The geological sense arose from the rock's laminated structure and tendency to split into thin, shell-like flakes.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# shale

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ʃeɪl/
**IPA (UK):** /ʃeɪl/
**Frequency rank:** 28128

## Meanings
1. a fine-grained sedimentary rock formed by compacted clay, mud, or silt, typically laminated and able to split into thin layers
2. oil or gas production from shale formations, or the companies involved in that industry

## Examples
- The road cut exposed thin beds of dark shale between layers of sandstone.
- Investment in United States shale increased after energy prices rose.

## Synonyms
- fissile mudrock
- shale industry
- shale production

## Derived Forms
- shaly
- shaley
- shalelike

## Related Forms
- mudstone
- claystone
- slate
- sedimentary rock
- oil shale
- shale oil

## Etymology
Probably from obsolete or dialectal shale ("scale, shell"), from Middle English and Old English scealu ("shell, husk"). The geological sense arose from the rock's laminated structure and tendency to split into thin, shell-like flakes.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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