smectic

[ smek-tik ]
/ ˈsmɛk tɪk /

adjective Physical Chemistry. (of liquid crystals)

noting a mesomorphic state in which the arrangement of the molecules is in layers or planes.

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Compare nematic.

Origin of smectic

1665–75 for earlier sense “cleansing”; < Latin smēcticus < Greek smēktikós, equivalent to smēkt(ós) smeared, verbid of smḗchein to wash out, clean + -tikos -tic

Words nearby smectic

smear word, smear-sheet, smearcase, smeary, smeaton, smectic, smectite, smeddum, smedley, smeech, smegma
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for smectic

smectic
/ (ˈsmɛktɪk) /

adjective

chem (of a substance) existing in or having a mesomorphic state in which the molecules are oriented in layersCompare nematic See also liquid crystal

Word Origin for smectic

C17: via Latin from Greek smēktikos, from smēkhein to wash; from the soaplike consistency of a smectic substance
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