tetragonal

[ te-trag-uh-nl ]

/ tɛˈtræg ə nl /

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adjective

pertaining to or having the form of a tetragon.

Crystallography. noting or pertaining to a system of crystallization in which all three axes are at right angles to one another, two being equal in length and the third being of a different length.

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Compare crystal system.

Origin of tetragonal

First recorded in 1565–75; tetragon + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM tetragonal

te·trag·o·nal·ly, adverbte·trag·o·nal·ness, noun

Words nearby tetragonal

tetrafluoride, tetrafluoroethene, tetrafluoroethylene, tetrafunctional, tetragon, tetragonal, tetragonal trisoctahedron, tetragram, Tetragrammaton, tetrahedral, tetrahedrite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tetragonal in a sentence

In the tetragonal system there are three axes at right angles to each other.
The A B C of Mining|Charles A. Bramble
Though closely resembling the tetragonal torbernite in form, it crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and is optically biaxial.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various
Direct nitration gives (principally) m-nitrobenzoic acid, also pseudo-tetragonal with a much shorter principal axis.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various
Benzoic acid is pseudo-tetragonal, the principal axis being remarkably long; there is no cleavage at right angles to this axis.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various

The density and specific heat of the tetragonal form are greater than those of the yellow.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tetragonal

tetragonal

/ (tɛˈtræɡənəl) /

adjective

Also: dimetric crystallog relating or belonging to the crystal system characterized by three mutually perpendicular axes of which only two are equal

of, relating to, or shaped like a quadrilateral

Derived forms of tetragonal

tetragonally, adverbtetragonalness, noun

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 tetragonal

tetragonal

[ tĕ-trăg′ə-nəl ]

Relating to a crystal having three axes, two of which are of the same length and are at right angles to each other. The third axis is perpendicular to these. The mineral zircon has tetragonal crystals. See illustration at crystal.