tectonic

[tek-ton-ik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tectonic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to building or construction; constructive; architectural.

Geology.

pertaining to the structure of the earth's crust.
referring to the forces or conditions within the earth that cause movements of the crust.
designating the results of such movements: tectonic valleys.

Origin of tectonic

1650–60; < Late Latin tectonicus < Greek tektonikós pertaining to construction, equivalent to tekton- (stem of téktōn) carpenter + -ikos -ic

Related formstec·ton·i·cal·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for tectonic

Contemporary Examples of tectonic

Mars has no tectonic plates—no continents, in other words—and no ginormous moon.
The Best Map of Mars Yet
Matthew R. Francis
July 20, 2014
This here is tectonic heat, a contrast hitting at the heart of why we love sport in the first place.
Super Bowl XLVIII Is Set to Be the Most Violent One Yet
Evin Demirel
January 30, 2014
The 68-million-year-old remnants of dinosaur feet were pushed upward by tectonic activity.
294 Dinosaurs Once Walked on This Wall in Bolivia
Nina Strochlic
October 24, 2013
For how long should one stand on principle when tectonic shifts rumble below?
Cato's Bloody Example
Justin Green
February 1, 2013
But I appreciate the tectonic significance Jobs has had and that Apple possesses.
Don't Bet Against Apple
Zachary Karabell
August 25, 2011

Historical Examples of tectonic

They owe their formation to tectonic movements, subsidences of the surface.
The Argentine Republic
Pierre Denis
The earthquakes in New Zealand are evidently of the tectonic type.
The Wonder Book of Volcanoes and Earthquakes
Edwin J. Houston
That tectonic earthquakes are closely connected with the formation of faults seems now established beyond doubt.
A Study of Recent Earthquakes
Charles Davison
In all respects, tectonic earthquakes differ widely from the Ischian shocks.
A Study of Recent Earthquakes
Charles Davison
Distinctions, so great as these are, evidently remove the Ischian shocks from the category of tectonic earthquakes.
A Study of Recent Earthquakes
Charles Davison

British Dictionary definitions for tectonic

tectonic

adjective

denoting or relating to construction or building

geology

(of landforms, rock masses, etc) resulting from distortion of the earth's crust due to forces within it
(of processes, movements, etc) occurring within the earth's crust and causing structural deformation

Derived Formstectonically, adverb

Word Origin for tectonic

C17: from Late Latin tectonicus, from Greek tektonikos belonging to carpentry, from tektōn a builder

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

Word Origin and History for tectonic

adj.

1650s, "of or relating to building," from Late Latin tectonicus, from Greek tektonikos "pertaining to building," from tekton (genitive tektonos) "builder, carpenter," from PIE root *tek- "to make" (see texture). The geological sense is recorded from 1894.

Science definitions for tectonic