crystallite

noun

crys·​tal·​lite ˈkri-stə-ˌlīt 

1

a

: a minute mineral form (as in glassy volcanic rocks) that marks the beginning of crystallization

b

: a single grain in a polycrystalline substance

2

: micelle

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s because electrical charges moving through the material got stuck at the boundaries between the myriad crystallites making up the material. —Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, 4 June 2019

At this level of magnification, the researchers were able to discern novel details about the building blocks of our bodily framework: our bones, which comprise mineral crystallites and spiraling strands of the protein collagen called fibrils. —Angus Chen, Scientific American, 3 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French cristallite, from cristal crystal entry 1 + -ite -ite entry 1

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1a