A crystal is a solid material whose atoms are arranged in a very regular, repeating pattern, often forming clear, shiny shapes like quartz or salt. As an adjective, crystal can mean very clear or transparent, like crystal glass.
From Greek *krystallos* “ice, crystal,” because clear quartz was once thought to be ice that had frozen so hard it would never melt. Latin and French passed the word into English.
Every crystal is like nature’s 3D math—atoms repeating in a strict pattern, which is why they form such perfect shapes. When you look at a snowflake or table salt under a microscope, you’re seeing tiny crystals built by invisible order.
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