tetrahedral
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to or having the form of a tetrahedron.
-
having four lateral planes in addition to the top and bottom.
Other Word Forms
- tetrahedrally adverb
Etymology
Origin of tetrahedral
First recorded in 1785–95; tetrahedr(on) + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Adamantane has a carbon framework that mirrors diamond's tetrahedral structure, making it an appealing starting material for forming nanodiamonds.
From Science Daily • Oct. 29, 2025
In this study, the researchers focused on a MOF called ZIF-8, which consists of a lattice of tetrahedral units made up of a zinc ion attached to four molecules of imidazole, an organic compound.
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024
"Synthetic anion binding is much more challenging because anions can be all kinds of shapes -- spherical, octahedral, even tetrahedral," Gong says.
From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2023
All of the tetrahedral sites in the FCC array of calcium ions are occupied by fluoride ions.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
Pure carbon, each atom linked to four equidistant neighbors, perfectly knit, tetrahedral, unsurpassed in hardness.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
