noun
quartz
KWORTS/kwɔːrts/
A hard crystalline mineral made of silicon dioxide.
This quartz cluster has pointed crystals growing from rough host rock.
Etymology
German Quarz names rock crystal. The name probably comes from a Slavic word meaning “hard,” which would connect the mineral’s name with its hardness.
In context
a clock made from a quartz crystal that vibrates at a certain frequency.
More examples
- Granite often contains grains of quartz.
- A tiny quartz crystal helps this watch keep accurate time.
- Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz.
Forms
quartz
crystalline adjective — Having a regular, repeating internal crystal structure.
Similar words
- silica
- Names silicon dioxide generally, including forms that are not crystalline.
- rock crystal
- Specifically clear, colorless quartz, rather than all quartz varieties.