crystallography

noun crys·tal·log·ra·phy \ ˌkri-stə-ˈlä-grə-fē \

Updated on: 1 May 2018

Definition of crystallography

: a science that deals with the forms and structures of crystals

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crystallographer

play \ˌkri-stə-ˈlä-grə-fər\ noun

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Recent Examples of crystallography from the Web

That landmark discovery, made possible by the x-ray crystallography work of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, put Francis Crick and James Watson at the forefront of the burgeoning field of molecular biology.

— National Geographic, "How We've Tackled the Evolving Science of DNA," 25 Apr. 2018
The technique, called crystallography, was a bit like making a shadow animal on the wall with one’s hand and a flashlight.

— clifton leaf, Fortune, "Brainstorm Health: Science and International Women's Day, Cigna-Express Scripts, IBM Watson and Mayo Clinic," 9 Mar. 2018
The scattering can be used to create imagery of these materials in much the same way that X-ray crystallography reveals the structure of complex molecules.

— tim lougheed, Science | AAAS, "Canada’s neutron scientists lament closure of world’s oldest nuclear reactor," 21 Sep. 2017
Experimental and analytical sciences—genetics, biochemistry, crystallography, and eventually molecular biology—made natural history seem old fashioned.

— steven lubar, Smithsonian, "A Scholar Follows a Trail of Dead Mice and Discovers a Lesson in Why Museum Collections Matter," 10 Aug. 2017
Imaging molecules For years, understanding the structure of a complex molecule like a protein or RNA involved a technique called X-ray crystallography.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "Algorithm designer among those honored with the Chemistry Nobel," 5 Oct. 2017
Other teams had designed x-ray crystallography to image tiny structures, but the process did not work with many living structures.

— maggie fox, NBC News, "Nobel Prize for Chemistry Goes to Inventors of Imaging Technique," 4 Oct. 2017
Further advances have brought cryo-EM within reach of resolving single atoms, rivalling x-ray crystallography.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "A cold, clear view of life wins chemistry Nobel," 4 Oct. 2017
Pierre Curie (1859-1906) Physicist and chemist Originally specialized in crystallography, but joined his wife’s research.

— lacy schley, Discover Magazine, "The Dynasties of Science," 10 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of crystallography

crystallo- + -graphy (after French cristallographie or New Latin crystallographia)

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First Known Use: 1784

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