tectonics

[ tek-ton-iks ]

/ tɛkˈtɒn ɪks /

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noun (used with a singular verb)

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

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ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

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Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Origin of tectonics

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

Words nearby tectonics

tectiform, tectonic, tectonic boundary, tectonic keratoplasty, tectonic plates, tectonics, tectonism, tectorial, tectorial membrane, tectorial membrane of cochlear duct, tectospinal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use tectonics in a sentence

Plate tectonics controls pretty much the fact that life exists on Earth.
The New Historian of the Smash That Made the Himalayas|Robin George Andrews|April 14, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Several scientists have argued that plate tectonics has operated since at least 4 billion years ago.
Scientists Pin Down When Earth’s Crust Cracked, Then Came to Life|Howard Lee|March 25, 2021|Quanta Magazine
This shows that plate tectonics isn’t a prerequisite for life at its most basic level.
Scientists Pin Down When Earth’s Crust Cracked, Then Came to Life|Howard Lee|March 25, 2021|Quanta Magazine
“What exactly plate tectonics is isn’t an answered question,” Fu says.
How the Earth-shaking theory of plate tectonics was born|Carolyn Gramling|January 13, 2021|Science News

South of Silicon Valley, an entire town is being deformed, slowly, by plate tectonics.
Silicon Valley Mansions, Swallowed Alive|Geoff Manaugh|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only in the 1960s, with the theory of plate tectonics, did a convincing solution finally emerge.
The Origins of Islam: Tom Holland Explains New Book ‘In the Shadow of the Sword’|Tom Holland|May 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for tectonics

tectonics

/ (tɛkˈtɒnɪks) /

noun (functioning as singular)

the art and science of construction or building

the study of the processes by which the earth's crust has attained its present structureSee also plate tectonics

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

Scientific definitions for tectonics

tectonics

[ tĕk-tŏn′ĭks ]

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. See more at plate tectonics.