kristallisk

Kristallisk is an adjective in Swedish and Norwegian meaning crystalline or crystal-like. It is used to describe substances, materials, or structures that exhibit a regular, periodic arrangement of their constituent atoms or molecules, i.e., a crystalline structure.

In geology and mineralogy, a crystalline material has a repeating long-range order and well-defined crystallographic faces. Crystals form through crystallization from a solution, melt, or during metamorphic processes. Crystalline substances contrast with amorphous materials, such as glass, which lack long-range order and do not form true crystal lattices. In crystallography, the term covers both the intrinsic arrangement of atoms within a crystal lattice and the macroscopic properties that follow from it, such as anisotropy (direction-dependent properties) and predictable cleavage along specific planes. Common crystalline solids include minerals like quartz, halite (rock salt), and many metals with ordered lattices.

The word kristallisk can also be used more loosely to describe something that has a crystal-like appearance or a transparent, sparkling quality, even if its internal structure is not perfectly crystalline. This usage often appears in descriptive or poetic language, as well as in product descriptions referring to glass, gemstones, or decorative surfaces.

Etymology: Kristallisk derives from kristall (crystal) plus the suffix -isk, with roots in the same family as the English crystal and the Latin crystallus, ultimately tracing to Greek krystallos or krustallos. The term is established in scientific literature and everyday Nordic usage.