orthorhombic

[ awr-thuh-rom-bik ]

/ ˌɔr θəˈrɒm bɪk /

adjective Crystallography.

noting or pertaining to a system of crystallization characterized by three unequal axes intersecting at right angles; rhombic; trimetric.

Nearby words

orthoptic, orthoptics, orthoptist, orthopyroxene, orthorexia, orthorhombic, orthoscope, orthoscopic, orthoscopy, orthoselection, orthosis

Compare crystal system.

Origin of orthorhombic

First recorded in 1865–70; ortho- + rhombic

Related formspseu·do·or·tho·rhom·bic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for orthorhombic

Barytes, which crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, has two sets of cleavages, viz.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7|Various
It is of less frequent occurrence in nature than copper-glance, the orthorhombic cuprous sulphide.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6|Various
In the orthorhombic system there are three unequal axes at right angles to each other.
The A B C of Mining|Charles A. Bramble
Though closely resembling the tetragonal torbernite in form, it crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and is optically biaxial.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various

Orthorhombic crystals common, usually prisms capped at one end by pyramided faces and abruptly terminated at the other.
Geology|William J. Miller

British Dictionary definitions for orthorhombic

orthorhombic

/ (ˌɔːθəʊˈrɒmbɪk) /

adjective

crystallog relating to the crystal system characterized by three mutually perpendicular unequal axesAlso: rhombic, trimetric

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

Science definitions for orthorhombic

orthorhombic

[ ôr′thō-rŏm′bĭk ]

Relating to a crystal having three axes of different lengths intersecting at right angles. The mineral topaz has orthorhombic crystals. See illustration at crystal.