Crystal Definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CRYSTAL, n. [L. Gr., frost.]
1. In chemistry and mineralogy, an inorganic body, which, by the operation of affinity, has assumed the form of a regular solid, terminated by a certain number of plane and smooth surfaces.
2. A factitious body, cast in glass houses, called crystal glass; a species of glass, more perfect in its composition and manufacture, than common glass. The best kind is the Venice crystal. It is called also factitious crystal or paste.
3. A substance of any kind having the form of a crystal.
4. The glass of a watch-case.
Rock crystal, or mountain crystal, a general name for all the transparent crystals of quartz, particularly of limpid or colorless quartz.
Iceland crystal, a variety of calcarious spar, or crystalized carbonate of lime, brought from Iceland. It occurs in laminated masses, easily divisible into rhombs, and is remarkable for its double refraction.
CRYSTAL, a. Consisting of crystal, or like crystal; clear; transparent; lucid; pellucid.
By crystal streams that murmur thorough the meads.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
2: a crystalline element used as a component in various electronic devices
3: a rock formed by the solidification of a substance; has regularly repeating internal structure; external plane faces [syn: crystal, crystallization]
4: colorless glass made of almost pure silica [syn: quartz glass, quartz, vitreous silica, lechatelierite, crystal]
5: glassware made of quartz
6: a protective cover that protects the face of a watch [syn: crystal, watch crystal, watch glass]

Merriam Webster's

geographical name city SE Minnesota N of Minneapolis population 22,698

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English cristal, from Anglo-French, from Latin crystallum, from Greek krystallos — more at crust Date: 13th century 1. quartz that is transparent or nearly so and that is either colorless or only slightly tinged 2. something resembling crystal in transparency and colorlessness 3. a body that is formed by the solidification of a chemical element, a compound, or a mixture and has a regularly repeating internal arrangement of its atoms and often external plane faces 4. a clear colorless glass of superior quality; also objects or ware of such glass 5. the glass or transparent plastic cover over a watch or clock dial 6. a crystalline material used in electronics as a frequency-determining element or for rectification 7. ice 7; broadly methamphetamine in any form when used illicitly II. adjective Date: 14th century 1. consisting of or resembling crystal ; clear, lucid 2. relating to or using a crystal <a crystal radio receiver>

English Explanatory Dictionary

?kr?st?la?n adj. 1 of, like, or clear as crystal. 2 Chem. &Mineral. having the structure and form of a crystal. øcrystalline lens atransparent lens enclosed in a membranous capsule behind the iris of theeye. øøcrystallinity n. [ME f. OF cristallin f. L crystallinus f. Gkkrustallinos (as CRYSTAL)]

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 a a clear transparent mineral, esp. rock crystal. b a piece of this. 2 (in full crystal glass) a highly transparent glass; flint glass. b articles made of this. 3 the glass over a watch-face. 4 Electronics a crystalline piece of semiconductor. 5 Chem. a an aggregation of molecules with a definite internal structure and the external form of a solid enclosed by symmetrically arranged plane faces. b a solid whose constituent particles are symmetrically arranged. --adj. (usu. attrib.) made of, like, or clear as crystal. Phrases and idioms: crystal ball a glass globe used in crystal-gazing. crystal class Crystallog. any of 32 categories of crystals classified according to their symmetry. crystal clear unclouded, transparent. crystal-gazing the process of concentrating one's gaze on a crystal ball supposedly in order to obtain a picture of future events etc. crystal lattice Crystallog. the regular repeating pattern of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline substance. crystal set a simple early form of radio receiving apparatus with a crystal touching a metal wire as the rectifier. crystal system Crystallog. any of seven possible unique combinations of unit cells, crystal lattices, and symmetry elements of a crystal class. Etymology: OE f. OF cristal f. L crystallum f. Gk krustallos ice, crystal

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crystal Crys"tal (kr?s"tal), n. [OE. cristal, F. cristal, L. crystallum crystal, ice, fr. Gr. ????, fr. ???? icy cold, frost; cf. AS. crystalla, fr. L. crystallum; prob. akin to E. crust. See Crust, Raw.] 1. (Chem. & Min.) The regular form which a substance tends to assume in solidifying, through the inherent power of cohesive attraction. It is bounded by plane surfaces, symmetrically arranged, and each species of crystal has fixed axial ratios. See Crystallization. 2. The material of quartz, in crystallization transparent or nearly so, and either colorless or slightly tinged with gray, or the like; -- called also rock crystal. Ornamental vessels are made of it. Cf. Smoky quartz, Pebble; also Brazilian pebble, under Brazilian. 3. A species of glass, more perfect in its composition and manufacture than common glass, and often cut into ornamental forms. See Flint glass. 4. The glass over the dial of a watch case. 5. Anything resembling crystal, as clear water, etc. The blue crystal of the seas. --Byron. Blood crystal. See under Blood. Compound crystal. See under Compound. Iceland crystal, a transparent variety of calcite, or crystallized calcium carbonate, brought from Iceland, and used in certain optical instruments, as the polariscope. Rock crystal, or Mountain crystal, any transparent crystal of quartz, particularly of limpid or colorless quartz.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crystal Crys"tal, a. Consisting of, or like, crystal; clear; transparent; lucid; pellucid; crystalline. Through crystal walls each little mote will peep. --Shak. By crystal streams that murmur through the meads. --Dryden. The crystal pellets at the touch congeal, And from the ground rebounds the ratting hail. --H. Brooks.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(crystals) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A crystal is a small piece of a substance that has formed naturally into a regular symmetrical shape. ...salt crystals. ...a single crystal of silicon. N-COUNT: oft n N see also liquid crystal, liquid crystal display 2. Crystal is a transparent rock that is used to make jewellery and ornaments. ...a strand of crystal beads. N-VAR 3. Crystal is a high quality glass, usually with patterns cut into its surface. Some of the finest drinking glasses are made from lead crystal. ...crystal glasses. N-UNCOUNT 4. Glasses and other containers made of crystal are referred to as crystal. Get out your best china and crystal.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(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.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kris'-tal: In English Versions of the Bible the word is probably intended to signify rock-crystal, crystallized quartz. This the Greeks called krustallos, "ice," believing it to have been formed from water by intense cold. Thus in Re 4:6; 21:11; 22:1, either "crystal" (EV) or "ice" (Greek, krustallos) suits the context. The word rendered "crystal" in Eze 1:22 (qerach) is ambiguous in precisely the same way (the Revised Version, margin "ice"). In Job 28:17 the context favors the King James Version "crystal," rather than the Revised Version (British and American) "glass" (zekhukhith). Finally, in Job 28:18 the Revised Version (British and American) reads "crystal" for the King James Version "pearls" (Hebrew gabhish; the weight of evidence favors the Revised Version (British and American) in spite of the parallelism suggested by the King James Version).

See also STONES, PRECIOUS. F. K. Farr

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