Meanings
present singular third person crystallizes · participle present crystallizing · participle past crystallized · past crystallized · alternative US crystalize · alternative crystallise · alternative crystalise
- transitivechemistryTo make something form into crystals.
I crystallized the copper sulfate by slowly cooling a saturated solution.
- figurativelytransitiveTo give a definite or precise form to (something).
After some thought, I crystallized my ideas for the paper.
1 more example
Two events from the past week help crystallize this strange, contradictory moment for the U.S. economy.
2026 June 13, Ben Casselman, “Wages Are Falling. Wealth Is Surging. No Wonder Americans Are Unhappy.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN - figurativelyintransitiveTo take a definite form.
My ideas crystallized overnight.
1 more example
The situation did crystallize, if painfully, under the stars, and by morning each knew what he must confess.
1957, Patrick White, chapter 12, in Voss
Synonyms & antonyms
verbcause to take on a definite and clear shape
verbmake free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear
verbcause to form crystals or assume crystalline form
verbassume crystalline form; become crystallized
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκρύσταλλος
- Latincrystallus
- Englishcrystallize
From crystal + -ize. The double l reflects the classical stem found in its etyma, Latin crystallus and Ancient Greek κρύσταλλος (krústallos), rather than the simplified spelling of the English base noun. Compare Hellenistic Greek κρυσταλλίζειν (krustallízein, “to shine like crystal”), post‐classical Latin crystallizare (“to change into crystal”), and French cristalliser.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian кристализирам, кристализирам
- кристализирам (kristaliziram)to make something form into crystals
- кристализирам (kristaliziram)to assume a crystalline form
Catalan cristal·litzar, cristal·litzar
- cristal·litzarto make something form into crystals
- cristal·litzarto assume a crystalline form
- cristal·litzarto give a precise form
- cristal·litzartake a definite form
- cristal·litzarto coat with crystals
Chinese Mandarin 結晶 /结晶
- 結晶 /结晶 (jiéjīng)to make something form into crystals
Czech krystalizovat
- krystalizovatto assume a crystalline form
Danish krystallisere, krystallisere
- krystallisereto make something form into crystals
- krystallisereto assume a crystalline form
- udkrystallisereto assume a crystalline form
- krystallisere sigto assume a crystalline form
- krystallisereto give a precise form
- krystalliseretake a definite form
- krystallisere sigtake a definite form
- udkrystalliseretake a definite form
- krystallisereto coat with crystals
- kandisereto coat with crystals
Dutch kristalliseren
- kristalliserento make something form into crystals
Esperanto kristaligi, kristaligi
- kristaligito make something form into crystals
- kristaligito give a precise form
- kristaliĝitake a definite form
Finnish kiteyttää, kiteytyä
- kiteyttääto make something form into crystals
- kiteytyäto assume a crystalline form
- kiteyttääto give a precise form
- kiteytyätake a definite form
- sirotella sokerillato coat with crystals
French cristalliser, cristalliser
- cristalliserto make something form into crystals
- cristalliserto assume a crystalline form
- cristalliserto coat with crystals
German kristallisieren
- kristallisierento make something form into crystals
Malay menghablurkan, mengkristalkan
- menghablurkanto make something form into crystals
- mengkristalkanto make something form into crystals
- menghablurto coat with crystals
- mengkristalto coat with crystals
Māori whātioata
- whātioatato make something form into crystals
Polish krystalizować
- krystalizowaćto make something form into crystals
Portuguese cristalizar, cristalizar-se
- cristalizarto make something form into crystals
- cristalizar-seto assume a crystalline form
- cristalizarto coat with crystals
Russian кристаллизова́ть, кристаллизова́ться
- кристаллизова́ть (kristallizovátʹ)to make something form into crystals
- кристаллизова́ться (kristallizovátʹsja)to assume a crystalline form
Spanish cristalizar
- cristalizarto make something form into crystals
Swedish kristallisera
- kristalliserato make something form into crystals
Thai ตกผลึก
- ตกผลึก (dtòk-pà-lʉ̀k)to make something form into crystals
Vietnamese kết tinh, kết tinh
- kết tinhto make something form into crystals
- kết tinhto assume a crystalline form
Cite this entry
crystallize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystallize
“crystallize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystallize. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crystallize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystallize.
Source: crystallize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.