crystal

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈkɹɪstəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #3079

Meanings

1

noun
A clear, solid mineral form with a regular geometric shape; high-quality clear glass.

The wine glasses were made of fine crystal.
2

adj
Completely clear and easy to understand.

His instructions were crystal clear.
3

noun
The transparent cover that protects the face of a watch.

The watch crystal cracked when he dropped it.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 noun · the transparent cover that... watch crystalwatch glass

More crystalline

Word family

Forms crystals

Derived forms anticrystalbicrystalbiocrystalcocrystalcrystal-clearcrystal-gazercrystal-gazingcrystal-likecrystallantcrystalliferouscrystallincrystalline

Etymology

From Middle English crystal, cristal, criȝstall, 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 κρύσταλλος (krústallos, “clear ice”), from κρύος (krúos, “frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *krews- (“hard, hard outer surface, crust”).

crystal Middle English cristalla Old English crystallum Latin κρύσταλλος Ancient Greek *krews- Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Describing Qualities Materials & Substances Word Formation & Derivatives

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# crystal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɹɪstəl/
**Frequency rank:** 3079

## Meanings
1. A clear, solid mineral form with a regular geometric shape; high-quality clear glass.
2. Completely clear and easy to understand.
3. The transparent cover that protects the face of a watch.

## Examples
- The wine glasses were made of fine crystal.
- His instructions were crystal clear.
- The watch crystal cracked when he dropped it.

## Synonyms
- crystalline

## Derived Forms
- anticrystal
- bicrystal
- biocrystal
- cocrystal
- crystal-clear
- crystal-gazer
- crystal-gazing
- crystal-like
- crystallant
- crystalliferous
- crystallin
- crystalline

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: crystal
- Root: cristalla
- Root: crystallum
- Root: κρύσταλλος
- Root: *krews-

## Etymology
From Middle English crystal, cristal, criȝstall, 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 κρύσταλλος (krústallos, “clear ice”), from κρύος (krúos, “frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *krews- (“hard, hard outer surface, crust”).

## AI Etymology
Crystal comes from Middle English crystal, cristal, criȝstall, 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 κρύσταλλος (krústallos, “clear ice”), from κρύος (krúos, “frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *krews- (“hard, hard outer surface, crust”). The historical chain includes crystal (Middle English), cristalla (Old English), crystallum (Latin), κρύσταλλος (Ancient Greek), and *krews- (Proto-Indo-European). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as anticrystal, bicrystal, biocrystal, and cocrystal. In present use it covers a clear, solid mineral form with a regular geometric shape; high-quality clear glass, completely clear and easy to understand, and the transparent cover that protects the face of a watch.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Materials & Substances
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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crystal

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