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smectic

American

[smek-tik] / ˈsmɛk tɪk /

adjective

Physical Chemistry.

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

smectic British

/ ˈsmɛktɪk /

adjective

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

"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 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

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