uncrystallized
|un-crys-tal-lized|
🇺🇸
/ˌʌnˈkrɪs.tə.laɪzd/
🇬🇧
/ˌʌnˈkrɪs.təl.aɪzd/
(uncrystallize)
not formed into crystals / not made definite
Etymology
'uncrystallized' originates from Old English prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' combined with the verb 'crystallize'. 'Crystallize' itself comes from Late Latin 'crystallizare' (or Medieval Latin 'crystallizare'), ultimately from Greek 'krystallos' meaning 'ice' or 'crystal'.
'crystallize' entered English via Middle French/Latin forms (e.g. French 'cristalliser' / Latin 'crystallizare') and became the English verb 'crystallize'; the negative prefix 'un-' (Old English 'un-') was then attached to form 'uncrystallized' in modern English usage.
Initially it referred specifically to the physical state 'not formed into crystals'; over time it has retained that scientific meaning and also acquired a figurative sense 'not yet made definite or settled'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'uncrystallize': to cause (something) to lose its crystalline structure or to reverse crystallization.
The chemist uncrystallized the precipitate to examine its amorphous components.
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Adjective 1
not formed into crystals; remaining in an amorphous, liquid, or non-crystalline state.
The solution remained uncrystallized after cooling, so additional seeding was required.
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Adjective 2
figurative: Not yet made clear, definite, or finalized (e.g., plans or ideas that are still vague).
Their proposals were still uncrystallized, so the committee asked for more detail.
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Last updated: 2025/12/13 12:49