crystal

English Online Dictionary. What means crystal‎? What does crystal mean?

English

Alternative forms

• christal, christall, chrystal, chrystall, cristal, cristall, crystall (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English crystal, cristal, criȝstall, from Old English cristalla (“crystal”), a borrowing from Latin crystallum (“crystal, ice”) (later reinforced from Anglo-Norman cristall and Middle French cristal, from Latin crystallum), from Ancient Greek κρύσταλλος (krústallos, “clear ice”), from κρύος (krúos, “frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *krews- (“hard, hard outer surface, crust”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: krĭsʹtəl, IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪstəl/
• Rhymes: -ɪstəl

Noun

crystal (countable and uncountable, plural crystals)

1. (countable) A solid composed of an array of atoms or molecules possessing long-range order and arranged in a pattern which is periodic in three dimensions.

   Synonym: grain

   Antonyms: amorphous, glass

2. (countable) A piece of glimmering, shining mineral resembling ice or glass.
3. (uncountable) A fine type of glassware, or the material used to make it.
4. (uncountable, slang) Crystal meth; methamphetamine hydrochloride.
5. (obsolete, figuratively, usually in the plural) A person's eye.
6. The glass over the dial of a watch case.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Hindi: क्रिस्टल (krisṭal)
• → Japanese: クリスタル (kurisutaru)

Translations

Adjective

crystal (not comparable)

1. (literally) Made of crystal.
2. (figuratively) Very clear; coherent.

Synonyms

• crystalline

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “crystal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.