crystalline

adjective crys·tal·line \ ˈkri-stə-lən also -ˌlīn , -ˌlēn \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: crystalline in a Sentence

Definition of crystalline

1 : resembling crystal: such as

a : strikingly clear or sparkling

crystalline air

a crystalline lake

b : clear-cut

2 : made of crystal : composed of crystals

3 : constituting or relating to a crystal

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crystallinity

play \ˌkri-stə-ˈli-nə-tē\ noun

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Examples of crystalline in a Sentence

we could see fish swimming beneath the crystalline ice of the frozen lake

Recent Examples of crystalline from the Web

The run starts with the 50-million-gallons-per-day, crystalline gush of Rock Springs but soon becomes stained like tea by decomposing organic stuff, leaves and cypress needles.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Wekiva and Rock Springs Run cure stress with gorgeous gators and hypnotic rain," 1 June 2018
Generally, according to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website, methamphetamine drugs are of a crystalline white powder appearance.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "A woman named Crystal Methvin was charged with drug possession. Guess which kind?," 31 May 2018
These include crystalline silicon and molybdenum disulfide.

— charles q. choi, Scientific American, "Building Sails for Interstellar Probes Will Be Tough, But Not Impossible," 10 May 2018
Immaculate in its unadorned plainness, at certain moments his prose achieves a crystalline beauty.

— ryu spaeth, The New Republic, "Gerald Murnane’s Endless Island," 4 May 2018
The appearance by Yoncheva, much praised for her powerful, crystalline sound, was hailed as one of the high points in the orchestra’s season.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Sonya Yoncheva cancels Tosca with Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin," 1 May 2018
These dozen evocative miniatures lend themselves to his crystalline precision and wide array of dynamic gradations, as his new recording of Debussy’s Book 2 Preludes, and Sunday’s recital, demonstrated.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Youth and experience score separate victories, as Orlinski debuts and Pollini returns," 24 Apr. 2018
Bleu des Basques is a study in textural variation: an uber rich paste of buttery, lanolin-laced sheep’s milk holds pockets of crunchy, mild, crystalline blue mold.

— tia keenan, Bon Appetit, "These 5 Cheese Plates Are Perfect, So Copy Them Exactly," 24 Apr. 2018
Together, the three have crafted a modern mini resort complete with a ten airy suites, a pool, events space, and restaurant all centered around a crystalline lake and set to open later this spring.

— christina pérez, Vogue, "Why Walla Walla, Washington Should be Your Next Wine Region Vacation," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crystalline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of crystalline

Middle English cristallin, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin crystallinus, borrowed from Greek krystállinos, from krýstallos "clear ice, ¹crystal" + -inos ¹-ine

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year