unit cell

American  

noun

Crystallography.

1. the simplest unit of a regular lattice.

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unit cell British  

noun

1. crystallog the smallest group of atoms, ions, or molecules that is characteristic of a particular crystal lattice

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Etymology

Origin of unit cell

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

In twisted antiferromagnetic layers, magnetic spin patterns are not limited to the small repeating moiré unit cell.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026

Compared with the previously studied hybrid 2D perovskites, the CL-v phase is stabilised by the addition of another B cation into the unit cell and has the general formula A2B2X4.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

Last week, a 34-year-old man was found unconscious in a medical unit cell at the jail, where he had been held since 2019.

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2023

The structure of a solid can be described by indicating the size and shape of a unit cell and the contents of the cell.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Atoms in the corners of a BCC unit cell do not contact each other but contact the atom in the center.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019