crystal
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also Crystal
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English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
- crystall (obsolete)
Etymology [edit]
Old English cristal (“clear ice/mineral”), from Latin crystallum (“crystal, ice”), later reinforced from Anglo-Norman cristall, Middle French cristal, from Latin crystallum, from Ancient Greek κρύσταλλος (krustallos, “clear ice”), from κρύος (kruos, “frost”), from the Proto-Indo-European *krus-, *kru- (“hard, hard outer surface, crust”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
crystal (countable and uncountable; plural crystals)
- (countable) A solid composed of an array of atoms or molecules possessing long-range order and arranged in a pattern which is periodic in three dimensions.
- (countable) A piece of glimmering, shining mineral resembling ice or glass.
- (uncountable) A fine type of glassware, or the material used to make it.
- (uncountable, slang) crystal meth: methamphetamine hydrochloride.
Synonyms [edit]
- (array of atoms): grain
Antonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
- crystalliferous
- crystalline
- crystallite
- crystallization, crystallisation
- crystallize, crystallise
- crystallographer
- crystalloid
- crystal stone
- quasicrystal
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
array of atoms
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mineral
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glassware
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(used attributively)
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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References [edit]
- “crystal” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).
Categories:
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Anglo-Norman
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English slang