crystal
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
crystal/ˈkrɪstl/
▶noun
- 1 a piece of a homogeneous solid substance having a natural geometrically regular form with symmetrically arranged plane faces.
■ Chemistry any solid consisting of a symmetrical, ordered, three-dimensional aggregation of atoms or molecules.
■ a clear transparent mineral, especially quartz.
- 2 (also crystal glass) highly transparent glass with a high refractive index.
■ the glass over a watch face.
- 3 [as modifier] clear and transparent: the crystal waters of the lake.
– origin OE (denoting ice or a mineral resembling it), from OFr. cristal, from L. crystallum, from Gk krustallos ‘ice, crystal’.
'crystal' also found in these Oxford entries:
anhedral
- antiferromagnetic
- bezel
- cat's whisker
- clarity
- clathrate
- crystal axis
- crystal ball
- crystal class
- crystal-gazing
- crystal lattice
- crystalline
- crystallite
- crystalloid
- crystal meth
- crystal set
- crystal system
- cubic
- dichroic
- dislocation
- double salt
- euhedral
- exciton
- getter
- grain
- intercalate
- interfacial
- jewel
- LCD
- lead crystal
- liquid crystal
- liquid crystal display
- macle
- meth
- monoclinic
- monocrystalline
- nematic
- orthorhombic
- phenocryst
- phonon
- pseudomorph
- quartz clock
- raphide
- recalescence
- rhomb
- rock crystal
- scry
- seed
- smectic
