Crystal

¹ American  

[kris-tl] / ˈkrɪs tl /

noun

1. a city in SE Minnesota, near Minneapolis.

2. a female given name.

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crystal ² American  

[kris-tl] / ˈkrɪs tl /

noun

1. a clear, transparent mineral or glass resembling ice.

2. the transparent form of crystallized quartz.

3. Chemistry, Mineralogy.  a solid body having a characteristic internal structure and enclosed by symmetrically arranged plane surfaces, intersecting at definite and characteristic angles.

4. anything made of or resembling such a substance.

5. a single grain or mass of a crystalline substance.

6. glass of fine quality and a high degree of brilliance.

7. articles, especially glassware for the table and ornamental objects, made of such a glass.

8. the glass or plastic cover over the face of a watch.

9. Radio.

   1. the piece of germanium, silicon, galena, or the like forming the essential part of a crystal detector.

   2. the crystal detector itself.

10. Electronics.  a quartz crystal ground in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, which vibrates strongly at one frequency when electric voltages of that frequency are placed across opposite sides: used to control the frequency of an oscillator crystal oscillator, as of a radio transmitter.

11. Slang.  any stimulant drug in powder form, as methamphetamine or PCP.

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adjective

1. composed of crystal.

2. resembling crystal; clear; transparent.

3. Radio.  pertaining to or employing a crystal detector.

4. indicating the fifteenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

verb (used with object)

crystaled, crystaling crystalled, crystalling

1. to make into crystal; crystallize.

2. to cover or coat with, or as if with, crystal (usually followed byover ).

crystal British  

/ ˈkrɪstəl /

noun

1. a piece of solid substance, such as quartz, with a regular shape in which plane faces intersect at definite angles, due to the regular internal structure of its atoms, ions, or molecules

2. a single grain of a crystalline substance

3. anything resembling a crystal, such as a piece of cut glass

4. 1. a highly transparent and brilliant type of glass, often used in cut-glass tableware, ornaments, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a crystal chandelier

5. something made of or resembling crystal

6. crystal glass articles collectively

7. electronics

   1. a crystalline element used in certain electronic devices as a detector, oscillator, transducer, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      crystal pick-up

      crystal detector

8. a transparent cover for the face of a watch, usually of glass or plastic

9. (modifier) of or relating to a crystal or the regular atomic arrangement of crystals

   crystal structure

   crystal lattice

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adjective

1. resembling crystal; transparent

   crystal water

crystal Scientific  

/ krĭs′təl /

1. A homogenous solid formed by a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms, ions, or molecules and having smooth external surfaces with characteristic angles between them. Crystals can occur in many sizes and shapes.

2. ◆ The particular arrangement in space of these atoms, molecules, or ions, and the way in which they are joined, is called a crystal lattice. There are seven crystal groups or systems. Each is defined on the basis of the geometrical arrangement of the crystal lattice.

3. 1. A natural or synthetic material, such as quartz or ceramic, that consists of such crystals. When subjected to mechanical stresses, crystalline materials can generate an electric charge or, when subjected to an electric field, they can generate mechanical vibrations in what is known as the piezoelectric effect.

   2. An electrical device, such as an oscillator or a diode used for detecting radio signals, made of such a material.

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crystal Cultural  

1. A material in which the atoms are arranged in a rigid geometrical structure (see geometry) marked by symmetry. Crystals often have clearly visible geometrical shapes.

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Discover More

Most minerals are crystalline structures.

Other Word Forms

• crystallike adjective
• uncrystaled adjective
• uncrystalled adjective

Etymology

Origin of crystal

First recorded before 1000; Middle English cristal(le), Old English cristalla, from Medieval Latin cristallum, Latin crystallum, from Greek krýstallos “clear ice, rock crystal,” derivative of krystaínein “to freeze”; akin to krȳmós “frost, cold” ( crymotherapy ), krýos “cold, frost” ( cryo- )

Example Sentences

To better understand how these crystals gather charge, she works with model aerosols made from very small, transparent silica spheres.

From Science Daily

Archaeologists have recovered thousands of clay-fired cooking balls and materials brought from faraway regions, such as quartz crystal from Arkansas, soapstone from the Atlanta area, and copper ornaments originating near the Great Lakes.

From Science Daily

In a separate study in Cell Reports, the team mapped the crystal structure of another group of proteins that is essential in tuft cell lung cancer.

From Science Daily

The other involves small magnetite crystals within the body that shift in response to magnetic forces, which would allow the animal to feel the field.

From Science Daily

"We take advantage of a synthetic effective field that arises when a terahertz pulse drives ions in the crystal lattice in circles," explains lead author Zhiyang Zeng.

From Science Daily