Crystal Definition & Meaning

American

British

Scientific

Cultural

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Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms Crystal 1 American [kris-tl] / ˈkrɪs tl /

noun

1. a city in SE Minnesota, near Minneapolis.

2. a female given name.

crystal 2 American [kris-tl] / ˈkrɪs tl /

noun

1. a clear, transparent mineral or glass resembling ice.

2. the transparent form of crystallized quartz.

3. Chemistry, Mineralogy. a solid body having a characteristic internal structure and enclosed by symmetrically arranged plane surfaces, intersecting at definite and characteristic angles.

4. anything made of or resembling such a substance.

5. a single grain or mass of a crystalline substance.

6. glass of fine quality and a high degree of brilliance.

7. articles, especially glassware for the table and ornamental objects, made of such a glass.

8. the glass or plastic cover over the face of a watch.

9. Radio.

   1. the piece of germanium, silicon, galena, or the like forming the essential part of a crystal detector.

   2. the crystal detector itself.

10. Electronics. a quartz crystal ground in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, which vibrates strongly at one frequency when electric voltages of that frequency are placed across opposite sides: used to control the frequency of an oscillator crystal oscillator, as of a radio transmitter.

11. Slang. any stimulant drug in powder form, as methamphetamine or PCP.

adjective

1. composed of crystal.

2. resembling crystal; clear; transparent.

3. Radio. pertaining to or employing a crystal detector.

4. indicating the fifteenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

verb (used with object)

crystaled, crystaling, crystalled, crystalling

1. to make into crystal; crystallize.

2. to cover or coat with, or as if with, crystal (usually followed byover ).

crystal British / ˈkrɪstəl /

noun

1. a piece of solid substance, such as quartz, with a regular shape in which plane faces intersect at definite angles, due to the regular internal structure of its atoms, ions, or molecules

2. a single grain of a crystalline substance

3. anything resembling a crystal, such as a piece of cut glass

4. 1. a highly transparent and brilliant type of glass, often used in cut-glass tableware, ornaments, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a crystal chandelier

5. something made of or resembling crystal

6. crystal glass articles collectively

7. electronics

   1. a crystalline element used in certain electronic devices as a detector, oscillator, transducer, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      crystal pick-up

      crystal detector

8. a transparent cover for the face of a watch, usually of glass or plastic

9. (modifier) of or relating to a crystal or the regular atomic arrangement of crystals

   crystal structure

   crystal lattice

"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

adjective

1. resembling crystal; transparent

   crystal water

"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 crystal Scientific / krĭs′təl /

1. A homogenous solid formed by a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms, ions, or molecules and having smooth external surfaces with characteristic angles between them. Crystals can occur in many sizes and shapes.

2. ◆ The particular arrangement in space of these atoms, molecules, or ions, and the way in which they are joined, is called a crystal lattice. There are seven crystal groups or systems. Each is defined on the basis of the geometrical arrangement of the crystal lattice.

3. 1. A natural or synthetic material, such as quartz or ceramic, that consists of such crystals. When subjected to mechanical stresses, crystalline materials can generate an electric charge or, when subjected to an electric field, they can generate mechanical vibrations in what is known as the piezoelectric effect.

   2. An electrical device, such as an oscillator or a diode used for detecting radio signals, made of such a material.

crystal Cultural

1. A material in which the atoms are arranged in a rigid geometrical structure (see geometry) marked by symmetry. Crystals often have clearly visible geometrical shapes.

Discover More

Most minerals are crystalline structures.

Other Word Forms

• crystallike adjective
• uncrystaled adjective
• uncrystalled adjective

Etymology

Origin of crystal

First recorded before 1000; Middle English cristal(le), Old English cristalla, from Medieval Latin cristallum, Latin crystallum, from Greek krýstallos “clear ice, rock crystal,” derivative of krystaínein “to freeze”; akin to krȳmós “frost, cold” ( crymotherapy ), krýos “cold, frost” ( cryo- )

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.

But for at least some of our 2026 predictions, the crystal ball is crystal clear.

From The Wall Street Journal

Just don’t mistake it for a crystal ball,” he added.

From MarketWatch

The researchers also found that the performance of RuO2 thin films can be improved by carefully controlling how their crystal structure is oriented during fabrication.

From Science Daily

To begin with, certain electrons are confined strictly to the top and bottom surfaces of the crystal.

From Science Daily

"There were plenty of saunas and cold plunges in crystal Nordic waters," he said, describing it as "wonderful".

From BBC

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.