cryptocrystalline

[ krip-toh-kris-tl-in, -ahyn ]

adjective

, Mineralogy.

1. having a microscopic crystalline structure.

cryptocrystalline

/ ˌkrɪptəʊˈkrɪstəlaɪn /

adjective

1. (of rocks) composed of crystals that can be distinguished individually only by the use of a polarizing microscope

cryptocrystalline

/ krĭp′tō-krĭs′tə-lĭn,-līn′ /

1. Having a microscopic crystalline structure, as the mineral chalcedony does.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cryptocrystalline¹

First recorded in 1860–65; crypto- + crystalline

Example Sentences

That is, the metamorphic rocks are characteristically holocrystalline, while igneous rocks are porphyritic, or cryptocrystalline.

From Project Gutenberg