crystal

[ kris-tl ]
See synonyms for crystal on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a clear, transparent mineral or glass resembling ice.

  2. the transparent form of crystallized quartz.

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

  2. anything made of or resembling such a substance.

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

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

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

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

  7. Radio.

  8. 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.

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

adjective
  1. composed of crystal.

  2. resembling crystal; clear; transparent.

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

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

verb (used with object),crys·taled, crys·tal·ing or (especially British) crys·talled, crys·tal·ling.
  1. to make into crystal; crystallize.

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

Origin of crystal

1
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” (see crymotherapy), krýos “cold, frost” (see cryo-)

Other words from crystal

  • crys·tal·like, adjective
  • un·crys·taled, adjective
  • un·crys·talled, adjective

Words Nearby crystal

Other definitions for Crystal (2 of 2)

Crystal
[ kris-tl ]

noun
  1. a city in SE Minnesota, near Minneapolis.

  2. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use crystal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crystal

crystal

/ (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

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

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

    • (as modifier): a crystal chandelier

  2. something made of or resembling crystal

  3. crystal glass articles collectively

  4. electronics

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

    • (as modifier): crystal pick-up; crystal detector

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

  6. (modifier) of or relating to a crystal or the regular atomic arrangement of crystals: crystal structure; crystal lattice

adjective
  1. resembling crystal; transparent: crystal water

Origin of crystal

1
Old English cristalla, from Latin crystallum, from Greek krustallos ice, crystal, from krustainein to freeze

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for crystal

crystal

[ krĭstəl ]


  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.♦ 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.

    • 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.

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

Other words from crystal

  • crystalline adjective

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for crystal

crystal

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.

Notes for crystal

Most minerals are crystalline structures.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.