crystallize

English

Alternative forms

• crystalize (US)
• crystallise (non-Oxford British English)
• crystalise (non-Oxford British English, rare)

Etymology

From crystal +‎ -ize.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪstəlaɪz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

crystallize (third-person singular simple present crystallizes, present participle crystallizing, simple past and past participle crystallized)

1. (transitive, chemistry, physics) To make something form into crystals.

   I crystallized the copper sulfate by slowly cooling a saturated solution.

2. (intransitive) To assume a crystalline form.

   The copper sulphate crystallized from solution.

3. (transitive) To give a definite or precise form to (something).

   After some thought, I crystallized my ideas for the paper.

4. (intransitive) To take a definite form.

   My ideas crystallized overnight.

   • 1957, Patrick White, chapter 12, in Voss:

     The situation did crystallize, if painfully, under the stars, and by morning each knew what he must confess.

5. (transitive) To coat something with crystals, especially with sugar.

   We crystallized the fruit by coating in sugar.

Derived terms

• cocrystallize
• crystallizability
• crystallizable
• crystallization, crystallisation
• crystallizer
• decrystallize
• nanocrystallize
• noncrystallizing
• recrystallize
• uncrystallize

Related terms

• crystalline

Translations

to make something form into crystals

Albanian: kristalizoj (sq) Bulgarian: кристализирам (kristaliziram) Catalan: cristal·litzar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 結晶 / 结晶 (zh) (jiéjīng) Danish: krystallisere Dutch: kristalliseren (nl) Esperanto: kristaligi Finnish: kiteyttää (fi) French: cristalliser (fr) German: kristallisieren (de) Malay: menghablurkan, mengkristalkan Maori: whātioata Polish: krystalizować (pl) impf Portuguese: cristalizar (pt) Russian: кристаллизова́ть (ru) impf or pf (kristallizovátʹ) Spanish: cristalizar (es) Swedish: kristallisera (sv) Thai: ตกผลึก (th) (dtòk-pà-lʉ̀k)

to assume a crystalline form

Albanian: kristalizohem Bulgarian: кристализирам (kristaliziram) Catalan: cristal·litzar (ca) Czech: krystalizovat Danish: krystallisere, udkrystallisere, krystallisere sig (mostly in figurative sense) Finnish: kiteytyä French: cristalliser (fr) Portuguese: cristalizar-se Russian: кристаллизова́ться (ru) impf or pf (kristallizovátʹsja)

to give a precise form

Catalan: cristal·litzar (ca) Danish: krystallisere Esperanto: kristaligi Finnish: kiteyttää (fi)

take a definite form

Catalan: cristal·litzar (ca) Danish: krystallisere, krystallisere sig, udkrystallisere Esperanto: kristaliĝi Finnish: kiteytyä French: (please verify) se cristalliser (fr)

to coat with crystals

Catalan: cristal·litzar (ca) Danish: krystallisere, (coat with sugar) kandisere (da) Finnish: sirotella sokerilla (to crystallize with sugar) French: cristalliser (fr) Malay: menghablur, mengkristal Portuguese: cristalizar (pt)