SHALE


Meaning of SHALE in English

/ ʃeɪl; NAmE / noun

[ U ] a type of soft stone that splits easily into thin flat layers

►  shaly adjective

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WORD ORIGIN

mid 18th cent.: probably from German Schale ; related to English dialect shale dish (see scale sense 5).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.