ENGLISH
REFERENCE

crystalline

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈkɹɪstəˌɫaɪn// UK //kɹˈɪstɐlˌaɪn// crys·talline Archaic

adj. clear and bright like a crystal, or made of crystals. You use this to describe things that are very easy to see through or have a very organized structure.

adj. resembling or composed of crystals; having a clear, transparent, or highly ordered structure. Often used figuratively to describe clarity of thought or sound.


SIMPLE

The mountain stream has crystalline water.

CONTEXTUAL

The chemist examined the crystalline structure of the salt under a powerful microscope.

COMPLEX

The poet was celebrated for her crystalline prose, which managed to convey complex philosophical ideas with startling transparency and precision.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English cristallyn, cristallyne, from Old French cristallin and its etymon Latin crystallinus, from Ancient Greek κρυστάλλινος (krustállinos), from κρύσταλλος (krústallos, “crystal”) + -ῐνος (-ĭnos, adjectival suffix). By surface analysis, crystal + -ine.

Usage

Can be used both literally in scientific contexts and figuratively to denote extreme clarity.

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