'schist' originates from French, specifically the word 'schiste,' ultimately from Ancient Greek 'schistós,' where the root 'schiz-' (from 'schízein') meant 'to split.'

'schistós' transformed into the Latin word 'schistus,' then the French word 'schiste,' and eventually became the modern English word 'schist'.

Initially, it meant 'split, divisible' (of material), but over time it evolved into its current geological sense of 'a foliated metamorphic rock that splits along planar surfaces.'