rock crystal

American

noun

transparent quartz, especially when colorless.

rock crystal British

noun

a pure transparent colourless quartz, used in electronic and optical equipment. Formula: SiO 2

"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

Etymology

Origin of rock crystal

First recorded in 1660–70

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.

Surely the brilliant carving was executed with the aid of a magnifying lens, perhaps made from a piece of rock crystal.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

She was buried with ivory tusks, ostrich eggshell, and a rock crystal dagger.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2023

SUN All-ages presentation with rock, crystal and fossil hunter John Cornish, 1 p.m.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2017

Gilded mirror frames are studded with porcelain fragments, while graceful bronze chandeliers bear lyrical flourishes of plaster, rock crystal, and white marble.

From Architectural Digest • May 15, 2015

I hadn't had a freshwater bath in three weeks and was glistening with caked salt like a stick of rock crystal candy.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023