I. ˈshāl, esp before pause or consonant -āəl noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English scalu, scealu — more at scale
1. obsolete : shell , husk
2. dialect chiefly England : scale
3. dialect chiefly England : a mesh of a net
4. : a fissile rock that is formed by the consolidation of clay, mud, or silt, has a finely stratified or laminated structure parallel to the bedding, and is composed of minerals that have been essentially unaltered since deposition
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English shalen, from shale, n.
obsolete : to remove the shell from
III. same as shale I intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English schaylen
chiefly dialect : shuffle