liquid crystal

American  

noun

1. a liquid having certain crystalline characteristics, especially different optical properties in different directions when exposed to an electric field.

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liquid crystal British  

noun

1. a liquid that has some crystalline characteristics, such as the presence of different optical properties in different directions; a substance in a mesomorphic state See also smectic nematic

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liquid crystal Scientific  

1. Any of various liquids in which molecules are regularly arrayed like a solid crystal along one or two dimensions, but are free in the other dimensions as with typical liquids. Liquid crystals often display unusual and often manipulable optical properties such as anisotropic scattering.

2. See more at LCD

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Etymology

Origin of liquid crystal

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The key to this phenomenon lies in the creation of phase defects within the liquid crystal structure next to the air bubbles.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024

They also found that integrating the liquid crystal with the waveguides left the modulation properties of the liquid crystals unvaried.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024

"By utilizing a birefringent liquid crystal plate, called a q-plate, developed by Professor Karimi's group, we were able to produce designer light fields with twisted wavefronts that describe a corkscrew pattern."

From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024

They are made of ribbon-like liquid crystal elastomers that are twisted -- like a rotini noodle -- and then joined together at the end to form a loop that resembles a bracelet.

From Science Daily • Jan. 8, 2024

No waterfalls hurl their bolts of liquid crystal into dark, frowning, wave-worn chasms, which had echoed to the thunder of their fall since the birth of time.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various