crystallography

noun
crys·​tal·​log·​ra·​phy | \ ˌkri-stə-ˈlä-grə-fē How to pronounce crystallography (audio) \

Definition of crystallography

: a science that deals with the forms and structures of crystals

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Other Words from crystallography

crystallographer \ ˌkri-​stə-​ˈlä-​grə-​fər How to pronounce crystallographer (audio) \ noun

Examples of crystallography in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cao first tried the most common technique for studying the architecture of complex proteins, called X-ray crystallography. Quanta Magazine, "Scientists Reveal Structure of Pain Sensor," 20 Feb. 2014 In 1953, Franklin used the then-new field of x-ray crystallography to image crystals of DNA. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Europe's Next Mars Rover Is Named After a Pioneer of DNA Research," 7 Feb. 2019 Bragg shared the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics with his father, William Henry Bragg, for x-ray crystallography. Daniel C. Schlenoff, Scientific American, "“Foul Treachery” of Trotsky and Lenin in 1918; Phineas Gage’s Brain in 1868," 13 July 2018 Rosalind Franklin unlocked the secrets of DNA’s double helix structure courtesy of her work on X-ray crystallography. Brian Keating, WIRED, "There's Nothing Noble about Science’s Nobel Prize Gender Gap," 27 May 2018 That landmark discovery, made possible by the x-ray crystallography work of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, put Francis Crick and James Watson at the forefront of the burgeoning field of molecular biology. National Geographic, "How We've Tackled the Evolving Science of DNA," 25 Apr. 2018 The technique, called crystallography, was a bit like making a shadow animal on the wall with one’s hand and a flashlight. Clifton Leaf, Fortune, "Brainstorm Health: Science and International Women's Day, Cigna-Express Scripts, IBM Watson and Mayo Clinic," 9 Mar. 2018 The scattering can be used to create imagery of these materials in much the same way that X-ray crystallography reveals the structure of complex molecules. Tim Lougheed, Science | AAAS, "Canada’s neutron scientists lament closure of world’s oldest nuclear reactor," 21 Sep. 2017 Experimental and analytical sciences—genetics, biochemistry, crystallography, and eventually molecular biology—made natural history seem old fashioned. Steven Lubar, Smithsonian, "A Scholar Follows a Trail of Dead Mice and Discovers a Lesson in Why Museum Collections Matter," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crystallography.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of crystallography

1784, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for crystallography

crystallo- + -graphy (after French cristallographie or New Latin crystallographia)

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More Definitions for crystallography

crystallography

noun
crys·​tal·​log·​ra·​phy | \ ˌkris-tə-ˈläg-rə-fē How to pronounce crystallography (audio) \
plural crystallographies

Medical Definition of crystallography

: a science that deals with the forms and structures of crystals — see x-ray crystallography

Other Words from crystallography

crystallographer \ -​fər How to pronounce crystallographer (audio) \ noun
crystallographic \ -​lə-​ˈgraf-​ik How to pronounce crystallographic (audio) \ adjective
crystallographically \ -​ik(ə-​)lē How to pronounce crystallographically (audio) \ adverb