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Glite Dictionary
shaly

shaly

1 8.2
Made of rock that breaks into thin flat layers
  • adjective
  • /ˈʃeɪli/
  • Specialized
: arcilloso
  • She noticed the shaly rock formations along the riverbank were rich in fossils.
  • shaly soil

Examples

  • A forest with an understory of mixed forest and prairie species grew where only a thin layer of red clay covered the shaly soil.

    Academic text (1991)

  • They were so intent on Frances that they didn't hear Clara move down the shaly bank, even though she had Julia and her books and moved clumsily.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The shaly terrain made it difficult for the plants to establish deep roots.

  • The construction crew had to adjust their plans due to the shaly ground underlying the building site.

Surface Forms

shaly positive

Morphology

shaly = shale (transparent) = shale + y

The adjective is a regular derivation from the noun 'shale' with the productive suffix '-y', meaning 'resembling or containing shale'.

Etymology

The word shaly comes from shale, a type of rock made of thin layers, plus the ending -y which means 'like' or 'full of'. So shaly simply means 'like shale' or 'containing shale', a useful way to remember it describes rock or soil that breaks into thin, flat pieces.