chiral
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chiral
1894; chir- < Greek cheír hand + -al 1; coined by Lord Kelvin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Under normal conditions, chiral phonons exist in a mix of left- and right-handed states with varying energy levels.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
To test their concept, the researchers used α-quartz, a crystal with a naturally chiral structure.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
In chiral materials, these waves also follow a circular motion, forming chiral phonons.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
By shining lasers through the material and studying how the reflected light changed in color, wavelength, etc., they confirmed that chiral phonons in quartz produce a significant magnetic field.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
"Even though the material itself isn't magnetic, the existence of chiral phonons gives us these magnetic levers to pull on," said Rikard Bodin, doctoral candidate at the U and co-author of the paper.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
