Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “crystalline” come from?

Crystalline comes from Middle English cristallyne, from Old French cristallin, from Latin crystallinus, from Ancient Greek κρυστάλλινος, derived from κρύσταλλος meaning ice or crystal, itself from κρύος meaning cold, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European krus-.

crystalline (English): Of, relating to, or composed of crystals; Having...

Definitions

  1. Of, relating to, or composed of crystals; Having...

Ancestry of “crystalline”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcristallyn—
2Old Frenchcristallin—
3Latincrystallinuscrystal; resembling crystal; crystalline
4Ancient Greekκρυστάλλινοςicy; of crystal
5Ancient Greekκρύσταλλοςice; rock crystal
6Ancient Greekκρύοςcold, chilliness; frost; ice
7Proto-Indo-Europeankrews-to form a crust, begin to freeze

Words derived from “crystalline”

  • polycrystalline
  • crystallinity
  • nanocrystalline
  • microcrystalline
  • semicrystalline
  • monocrystalline
  • noncrystalline
  • cryptocrystalline
  • intracrystalline
  • magnetocrystalline
  • intercrystalline
  • paracrystalline
  • quasicrystalline
  • holocrystalline
  • multicrystalline
  • subcrystalline
  • macrocrystalline
  • ultrananocrystalline
  • pseudocrystalline
  • hypocrystalline
  • mesocrystalline
  • microcrystallinity
  • phanerocrystalline
  • spherocrystalline
Every word from Proto-Indo-European krews- →