crys·tal

[kris-tl] noun, adjective, verb, crys·taled, crys·tal·ing or ( especially British ) crys·talled, crys·tal·ling.
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.
a.
the piece of germanium, silicon, galena, or the like forming the essential part of a crystal detector.
b.
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
12.
composed of crystal.
13.
resembling crystal; clear; transparent.
14.
Radio. pertaining to or employing a crystal detector.
15.
indicating the fifteenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary. See table under wedding anniversary.
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to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
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verb (used with object)
16.
to make into crystal; crystallize.
17.
to cover or coat with, or as if with, crystal (usually followed by over ).
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English cristal(le), Old English cristalla < Medieval Latin cristallum, Latin crystallum < Greek krýstallos clear ice, rock crystal, derivative of krystaínein to freeze; see cryo-

Related forms
crys·tal·like, adjective
un·crys·taled, adjective
un·crys·talled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

Crys·tal

[kris-tl]
noun
1.
a city in SE Minnesota, near Minneapolis.
2.
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To crystal
Collins
World English Dictionary
crystal (ˈkrɪstəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
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.  a.  a highly transparent and brilliant type of glass, often used in cut-glass tableware, ornaments, etc
 b.  (as modifier): a crystal chandelier
5.  something made of or resembling crystal
6.  crystal glass articles collectively
7.  electronics
 a.  a crystalline element used in certain electronic devices as a detector, oscillator, transducer, etc
 b.  (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
 
—adj
10.  resembling crystal; transparent: crystal water
 
[Old English cristalla, from Latin crystallum, from Greek krustallos ice, crystal, from krustainein to freeze]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

crystal
O.E. cristal "clear ice, clear mineral," from O.Fr. cristal, from L. crystallum "crystal, ice," from Gk. krystallos, from kryos "frost," from PIE base *kru(s)- "hard, hard outer surface" (see crust). The mineral has been so-called since O.E.; it was regarded by the ancients
as a sort of fossilized ice. As a shortened form of crystal-glass it dates from 1590s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

crystal crys·tal (krĭs'təl)
n.

  1. A homogenous solid formed by a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms, ions, or molecules and having fixed distances between constituent parts.

  2. A mineral, especially a transparent form of quartz that has a crystalline structure and is often characterized by external planar faces.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
crystal   (krĭs'təl)  Pronunciation Key 


(click for larger image in new window)

  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. ◇ 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.

    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.


crystalline adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

crystal definition


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.

Note: Most minerals are crystalline structures.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

crystal definition


  1. n.
    crystallized cocaine. (Drugs. See also crack.) : Crystal—an older name for crack—was a favorite many years ago.
  2. n.
    liquid Methedrine in glass ampoules. (Drugs.) : I hear that Willy's shooting crystal. Is that true?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

Crystal definition


Concurrent Representation of Your Space-Time ALgorithms.
A recursion equation parallel language.
["A Parallel Language and its Compilation to Multiprocessor Machines or VLSI", M.C. Chen, 13th POPL, ACM 1986 pp.131-139].
(1994-12-06)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Easton
Bible Dictionary

Crystal definition


(Ezek. 1:22, with the epithet "terrible," as dazzling the spectators with its brightness). The word occurs in Rev. 4:6; 21:11; 22:1. It is a stone of the flint order, the most refined kind of quartz. The Greek word here used means also literally "ice." The ancients regarded the crystal as only pure water congealed into extreme hardness by great length of time.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Example sentences from the web
Besides having a crystal on its hilt, it was thinner and lighter than a
  broadsword.
They have also been known to hold a slightly yellowish green crystal inside of
  them.
Crystal gravy parody of the clear cola craze, specifically crystal pepsi
  commercials.
As a result, their crystal structure expands slightly and over time.
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