crystal
75
6.0
- noun
- /ˈkrɪstl/
- Specialized
:
cristal
- Engineers use crystal oscillators in electronic devices to maintain stable frequencies.
- quartz crystal
- silicon crystal
- photonic crystal
Examples
-
The technician replaced the faulty component with a new crystal to ensure the radio worked properly.
-
My interest in electronics started with a crystal set, the same as most boys.
Fiction book (1990) -
But now we're looking at increasingly more complex crystal structures, which I'm going to show you.
-
Tell me about the crystal transmitter.
-
We've rigged the original crystal to a variable oscillator, here.
-
The CorTemp sensor uses a quartz crystal whose oscillating frequency is sensitive to changes in temperature.
Academic text (1994) -
I signed off with Mister Vibroplex from Bakersfield and unplugged the crystal from my transmitter.
Fiction book (1995) -
The clock's crystal was scratched, so I decided to get it replaced to restore its appearance.
Synonyms
16
3.7
A hard mineral usually clear or white found in many rocks and sand
1
5.1
A small clear stone cut to make a steady electrical signal for clocks and radios
1
4.9
A clear, colorless mineral used to make lenses and in some electronics
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
- NSFW
21
8.6
An illegal, very strong drug in clear crystals that makes people very awake and active
- Specialized
3
4.5
A material that flows like a liquid but has a solid-like internal pattern used in screens
- Specialized
1
3.7
A thin flat electronic screen like on watches, phones, and TVs that shows pictures
- Specialized
1
7.0
A regular three-dimensional pattern of atoms, molecules, or ions inside a solid
- Specialized
1
5.1
A small clear stone cut to make a steady electrical signal for clocks and radios
- Specialized
1
4.9
A clear, colorless mineral used to make lenses and in some electronics
- Archaic
A simple radio part that uses a crystal and wire to turn signals into sound
- Archaic
A device for recording or sending voices that uses a small crystal to change sound into an electrical signal
- Specialized
An electronic device that makes a very steady electrical signal at one frequency using a small quartz crystal
- Archaic
A small part in a record player that uses a crystal to make electric signals from the needle's movement
- Archaic
A small electronic device that changes alternating current into direct current
- Archaic
A simple early radio that uses a crystal to receive signals without a battery
- Archaic
A small evergreen shrub with white bell-shaped flowers whose leaves were used to make tea during the American Revolution
- Specialized
A dark purple dye used to colour cells for microscopes and to help stop infection
Predicting the future by looking into a crystal ball or guessing about the future without real proof
Surface Forms
Etymology
Crystal comes from Greek krystallos meaning 'ice', first used for clear minerals like quartz. Because pieces of quartz are hard and have a regular pattern inside, people use them in watches and radios to keep steady signals, so that part is called a crystal.