crystallize

English

Alternative forms

• crystalize
• (non-Oxford British spelling) crystallise, crystalise

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 something a definite or precise form

   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

• crystallizable
• crystallization / crystallisation

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)
• 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

• 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

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