crystalline

adjective
crys·​tal·​line | \ ˈkri-stə-lən also -ˌlīn How to pronounce crystalline (audio) , -ˌlēn\

Definition of crystalline

1 : resembling crystal: such as
a : strikingly clear or sparkling crystalline air a crystalline lake
b : clear-cut
2 : made of crystal : composed of crystals
3 : constituting or relating to a crystal

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Other Words from crystalline

crystallinity \ ˌkri-​stə-​ˈli-​nə-​tē How to pronounce crystallinity (audio) \ noun

Examples of crystalline in a Sentence

we could see fish swimming beneath the crystalline ice of the frozen lake

Recent Examples on the Web

The investigation involved physics, metallurgy, and the crystalline strength of steel at work. Adam Rogers, WIRED, "How 'Microcracks' Undermined San Francisco's New Bus Terminal," 10 Aug. 2019 What followed — 36 summers ago — was eight weeks of boot camp and a 24-year career that stretched out before her like the Atlantic horizon on a crystalline summer’s day. Thomas Farragher, BostonGlobe.com, "The voice you hear is Nantucket Sound’s guardian angel," 6 Aug. 2019 Another Life opens with an ouroboros-like alien spacecraft cruising above Earth, then crashing into a soybean field and turning into a crystalline communications tower. Samantha Nelson, The Verge, "Netflix’s Another Life starts as Arrival, then turns into Star Trek," 23 July 2019 In one of Tatcha’s Instagram posts from last year, Ziegler’s crystalline eyes appear to pop underneath a purple Tatcha mask infused with Japanese beautyberry. Khanh T.l. Tran, latimes.com, "She gave up everything to start beauty brand Tatcha. What happens after it’s sold?," 8 July 2019 If a few of the character’s poignant moments in the second half weren’t optimized, Boggess impressed with her crystalline singing and gameness for comedy. Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Into the Woods’ and stars align in magical night at the Hollywood Bowl," 28 July 2019 The crystalline silicon presents fewer opportunities to lose energy, so radiation is emitted a bit more readily. Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Silicon LED created by buzzing surface with high-speed electrons," 22 July 2019 Laos and Malaysia also reported record-breaking busts in 2018, and in first eight months of the year Chinese authorities reported a 22-fold increase in crystalline methamphetamine seizures in Yunnan province compared with 2015. Joshua Berlinger, CNN, "Asia's meth trade is worth an estimated $61B as region becomes 'playground' for drug gangs," 18 July 2019 This type of solar cell is made out of mono-crystalline silicon. David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "How Solar Panels Work (And Why They're Taking Over the World)," 6 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crystalline.' 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 crystalline

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for crystalline

Middle English cristallin, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin crystallinus, borrowed from Greek krystállinos, from krýstallos "clear ice, crystal entry 1" + -inos -ine entry 1

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More Definitions for crystalline

crystalline

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of crystalline

: clear and shining like crystal
technical : made of or similar to crystal or crystals

crystalline

adjective
crys·​tal·​line | \ ˈkri-stə-lən How to pronounce crystalline (audio) \

Kids Definition of crystalline

1 : made of crystal or composed of crystals

crystalline

adjective
crys·​tal·​line | \ ˈkris-tə-lən also -ˌlīn, -ˌlēn\

Medical Definition of crystalline

1 : composed of or resembling crystals
2a : formed by crystallization : having regular arrangement of the atoms in a space lattice — see amorphous sense 2
b : having the internal structure though not necessarily the external form of a crystal granite is only crystalline, while quartz crystal is perfectly crystallized

Other Words from crystalline

crystallinity \ ˌkris-​tə-​ˈlin-​ət-​ē How to pronounce crystallinity (audio) \ noun, plural crystallinities

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