tectonics

[ tek-ton-iks ]

noun(used with a singular verb)
  1. the science or art of assembling, shaping, or ornamenting materials in construction; the constructive arts in general.

Origin of tectonics

1
First recorded in 1625–35; see origin at tectonic, -ics

Words Nearby tectonics

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How to use tectonics in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tectonics

tectonics

/ (tɛkˈtɒnɪks) /


noun(functioning as singular)
  1. the art and science of construction or building

  2. the study of the processes by which the earth's crust has attained its present structure: See also plate tectonics

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

Scientific definitions for tectonics

tectonics

[ tĕk-tŏnĭks ]


  1. The branch of geology that deals with the broad structural and deformational features of the outer part of the Earth, their origins, and the relationships between them. See more at plate tectonics.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.