Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🌌 Astronomy reference point 🔲 Almost equal sides 🔲 A cube-like grain
equant

equant

9.9
Having nearly equal length, width and height
  • adjective
  • /ˈiːkwənt/
  • Specialized
: equant
  • Under the microscope, the sand grains appeared equant rather than elongated or flattened.

Examples

  • Geologists often describe crystals as equant when they are nearly spherical in shape.

  • These grains are almost equant in shape.

  • The mineral sample was classified as equant because its length, width, and height were almost the same.

  • The equant crystals were found in the sediment.

  • The mineral sample was classified as equant because its length, width, and height were almost the same.

  • Under the microscope, the sand grains appeared equant rather than elongated or flattened.

  • Geologists often describe crystals as equant when they are nearly spherical in shape.

Synonyms

equiaxed
vsequant
  • Specialized
9.9

About the same size in all directions, often describing grains or crystals

is an alternative technical label used for the same crystal or grain shape

How Equidimensional

isometric
  • Specialized
2 7.7
equant
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

equant positive

Morphology

equant = equal (transparent) = equa + ant

The adjective is directly built from the notion of 'equal' with the productive adjectival suffix '-ant', so the meaning 'nearly equal in dimensions' follows transparently.

Etymology

Equant comes from the Latin root aequus meaning 'equal', the same root as the English word equal. So it describes crystals or grains that are almost the same size in every direction.