different between crystal vs phenocryst

English

Alternative forms

• crystall (obsolete)
• chrystal (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English crystal, cristal, cri?stall, from Old English cristalla (“crystal”), a borrowing from Latin crystallum (“crystal, ice”) (later reinforced from Anglo-Norman cristall and Middle French cristal, from Latin crystallum), from Ancient Greek ?????????? (krústallos, “clear ice”), from ????? (krúos, “frost”), from the Proto-Indo-European *krus-, *kru- (“hard, hard outer surface, crust”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: kr?s?t?l, IPA^(key): /?k??st?l/

Noun

crystal (countable and uncountable, plural crystals)

1. (countable) A solid composed of an array of atoms or molecules possessing long-range order and arranged in a pattern which is periodic in three dimensions.

   Synonym: grain

   Antonyms: amorphous, glass

2. (countable) A piece of glimmering, shining mineral resembling ice or glass.
3. (uncountable) A fine type of glassware, or the material used to make it.
4. (uncountable, slang) Crystal meth: methamphetamine hydrochloride.
5. The glass over the dial of a watch case.

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ????? (kurisutaru)

Translations

Adjective

crystal (not comparable)

1. Very clear.

   "Do I make myself clear?" / "Crystal."

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “crystal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

English

Noun

phenocryst (plural phenocrysts)

1. (mineralogy) Any relatively large crystal embedded in a more fine-grained or glassy igneous rock
   • 1965, Gordon A Macdonald and Takashi Katsura, Eruption of Lassen Peak, Cascade Range, California, in 1915: Example of Mixed Magmas, Geological Society of America Bulletin 76 (5), pages 475:

     Some of the feldspar phenocrysts are more than 1 cm long, but most are less than 5 mm.

Synonyms

• phenocrystal

Derived terms

• phenocrystic

Translations