cryptocrystalline
[ krip-toh-kris-tl-in, -ahyn ]
/ ˌkrɪp toʊˈkrɪs tl ɪn, -ˌaɪn /
adjective Mineralogy.
having a microscopic crystalline structure.
Origin of cryptocrystalline
First recorded in 1860–65;
crypto- +
crystalline
Words nearby cryptocrystalline
cryptoclimate,
cryptoclimatology,
cryptococcal meningitis,
cryptococcosis,
cryptococcus,
cryptocrystalline,
cryptocurrency,
cryptogam,
cryptogenic,
cryptogenic septicemia,
cryptogram
Example sentences from the Web for cryptocrystalline
That is, the metamorphic rocks are characteristically holocrystalline, while igneous rocks are porphyritic, or cryptocrystalline.
North America |Israel C. Russell
British Dictionary definitions for cryptocrystalline
cryptocrystalline
/ (ˌkrɪptəʊˈkrɪstəlaɪn) /
adjective
(of rocks) composed of crystals that can be distinguished individually only by the use of a polarizing microscope
Scientific definitions for cryptocrystalline
cryptocrystalline
[ krĭp′tō-krĭs′tə-lĭn, -līn′ ]
Having a microscopic crystalline structure, as the mineral chalcedony does.