Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
noncrystalline

noncrystalline

8.5
A material that does not have a regular internal pattern, like glass
  • adjective
  • /nɒnˈkrɪstəlɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : no cristalino
  • Noncrystalline materials often exhibit unique properties that differ from their crystalline counterparts.

Examples

  • The team studied the properties of a new noncrystalline glass that could be used in electronics.

  • The physicist explained how noncrystalline substances can affect the conductivity of a material.

  • The gray curve is for bremsstrahlung in a noncrystalline target.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Disorder is commonly found in the noncrystalline organization of molecular semiconductors and in the conformation of polymer chains.

    Academic text (2006)

  • In the future, phasing complex structures, in both crystalline and noncrystalline forms, will continue to play an important role in biological and materials-science investigations at both fundamental and functioning levels.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Coherent diffraction imaging of noncrystalline specimens is analogous to x-ray crystallography, but with two important differences.

    Academic text (2006)

  • In the early 1980s, David Sayre proposed using coherent x-ray diffraction as an imaging technique to determine the electron density in a noncrystalline single-particle specimen.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

amorphous
vsnoncrystalline
  • Specialized
5 7.3

Not having a clear shape or regular structure

relates to absence of ordered atoms rather than just outer shape or form
uncrystallized
vsnoncrystalline
  • Specialized
7.8

Not in a solid crystal form

focuses on the lack of ordered atoms rather than visible crystal shapes
structureless
vsnoncrystalline
  • Specialized
6.7

Not having a regular internal pattern like crystals

applies specifically to lack of crystalline atomic order rather than general disorder

Antonyms

crystalline
11 6.6

Made of many small solid parts that form regular shapes like salt or snow

How Crystalline

crystalline
11 6.6
subhedral
  • Specialized
9.9
noncrystalline
  • Specialized
8.5

Surface Forms

noncrystalline positive

Morphology

noncrystalline = crystalline (transparent) = non + crystal + ine

The negative prefix 'non-' straightforwardly negates the adjective 'crystalline', and 'crystalline' is itself transparently related to 'crystal' + '-ine'.

Etymology

The word noncrystalline breaks into non- meaning 'not' and crystal, a word from a root that meant 'ice' or 'clear', and a crystal has a regular, repeating pattern. So, noncrystalline describes a material that does 'not' have that regular atomic order, like glass.