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

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-krĭstə-lĭn, -līn′ ]

Having a microscopic crystalline structure, as the mineral chalcedony does.