schist

noun

ˈshist How to pronounce schist (audio)
: a metamorphic crystalline rock that has a closely foliated structure and can be split along approximately parallel planes

Examples of schist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When that appetite faded and drinkers turned to lighter wines, the appellation had only to lean back into what its schist already gave. — Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 Feldspar and mica, the main minerals in plutonic rocks like granite and metamorphic rocks like gneiss and schist, react with water and oxygen, decaying to clay minerals. — David Bressan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Soils consisting of granite, limestone, and schist contribute to this wine’s mineral-laden characteristics. — Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2025 Fordham gneiss, one of the three main New York City rock types (Inwood marble and Manhattan schist are the others), had been the road builders’ big obstacle here. — Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for schist

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French schiste (Middle French pierre schiste, with pierre "stone"), borrowed from Latin schistos (in Pliny's Naturalis historia) "a kind of iron ore, perhaps limonite," shortened from lapis schistos, literally, "fissile stone," from lapis "stone" + schistos "easily split, fissile," borrowed from Greek schistós "split, divided," verbal adjective of schízein "to split, separate" — more at shed entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of schist was circa 1782

Rhymes for schist

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Browse Nearby Words

schismless
schist
schistic
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Cite this Entry

“Schist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schist. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

schist

noun
ˈshist How to pronounce schist (audio)
: a metamorphic rock that can be split along nearly parallel planes

More from Merriam-Webster on schist

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about schist

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