quasicrystal

noun

qua·​si·​crys·​tal ˈkwā-ˌzī-ˌkri-stᵊl How to pronounce quasicrystal (audio)
-sī-,
ˈkwä-zē-,
-sē-
: a body of solid material that resembles a crystal in being composed of repeating structural units but that incorporates two or more unit cells into a quasiperiodic structure
quasicrystalline
ˈkwā-ˌzī-ˌkri-stə-lən How to pronounce quasicrystal (audio)
-sī-
ˈkwä-zē-
-sē-
 also  -ˌlīn
-ˌlēn
adjective

Examples of quasicrystal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For decades, scientists considered quasicrystals an impossibility. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 26 July 2023 Since then, scientists have even found some (but not many) quasicrystals in nature. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 26 July 2023 In 1982, Dan Shechtman discovered that symmetries akin to the ones in Penrose tilings show up in nature in the form of structures called quasicrystals, in work that earned him the 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 4 Apr. 2023 The quasicrystal plucked earlier this year from the recesses of a red trinitite sample is the first to contain a combination of iron, silicon, copper and calcium. Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2021 Hidden deep within one of these samples was something even more unusual — a 'forbidden' type of matter known as a quasicrystal — but nearly eight decades came and went before scientists began searching for it. Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2021 The symmetry group of the quasicrystal is the same as that of the regular 20-sided solid known as an icosahedron, and the chemistry is given by the formula Si61Cu30Ca7Fe2. David Bressan, Forbes, 18 May 2021 The force of the Trinity test had forged a new quasicrystal. Kiona N. Smith, Forbes, 19 May 2021 Scientists have long debated how quasicrystals form. Quanta Magazine, 8 July 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quasicrystal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quasicrystal was in 1922

Dictionary Entries Near quasicrystal

Cite this Entry

“Quasicrystal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quasicrystal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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