tectonics

American  

[tek-ton-iks] / tɛkˈtɒn ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the science or art of assembling, shaping, or ornamenting materials in construction; the constructive arts in general.

2. structural geology.

---

tectonics British  

/ tɛkˈtɒnɪks /

noun

1. the art and science of construction or building

2. the study of the processes by which the earth's crust has attained its present structure See also plate tectonics

---

tectonics Scientific  

/ tĕk-tŏn′ĭks /

1. The branch of geology that deals with the broad structural and deformational features of the outer part of the Earth, their origins, and the relationships between them.

2. See more at plate tectonics

---

Etymology

Origin of tectonics

First recorded in 1625–35; see origin at tectonic, -ics

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tectonics

Today, plate tectonics plays a central role in moving water through the planet.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Unlike Earth, the Moon has no active plate tectonics, flowing water, or substantial atmosphere to rapidly erase old craters.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026

And with no plate tectonics, or wind and rain to wipe this record away, the Moon is a perfect time capsule.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026

Our beautiful encircling topography of mountains and hills is a bowl ready-made by ancient plate tectonics to be filled with smoke and smog.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

And in Basin and Range, published in 1980, John McPhee noted that even then one American geologist in eight still didn’t believe in plate tectonics.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson