tetragonal

[ te-trag-uh-nl ]

/ tɛˈtræg ə nl /

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.

Nearby words

tetrafluoride, tetrafluoroethene, tetrafluoroethylene, tetrafunctional, tetragon, tetragonal, tetragonal trisoctahedron, tetragonally, tetragram, tetragrammaton, tetrahedral

Compare crystal system.

Origin of tetragonal

First recorded in 1565–75; tetragon + -al¹

Related formste·trag·o·nal·ly, adverbte·trag·o·nal·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for tetragonal

It consists of tin dioxide, or stannic oxide (SnO2), and crystallizes in the tetragonal system.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4|Various
A silicate of zirconium usually crystallized in the tetragonal system as simple four-sided prisms capped by four-sided pyramids.
Geology|William J. Miller
Optically uniaxial crystals—corresponding with the tetragonal and hexagonal systems.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7|Various
Apophyllite always occurs as distinct crystals, which belong to the tetragonal system.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 3|Various

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

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 Formstetragonally, 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

Science 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.