crystallographic defect

noun

A localized disruption in the perfect, repeating arrangement of atoms in a crystal lattice, occurring at a single point or around one atom, significantly influencing material properties like conductivity and strength; the main types include vacancies (missing atoms), interstitials (extra atoms in non-regular spots), and substitutional defects (impurities replacing host atoms).

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Meanings

nouncrystallographic defect (plural crystallographic defects)

plural crystallographic defects

  1. chemistryA localized disruption in the perfect, repeating arrangement of atoms in a crystal lattice, occurring at a single point or around one atom, significantly influencing material properties like conductivity and strength; the main types include vacancies (missing atoms), interstitials (extra atoms in non-regular spots), and substitutional defects (impurities replacing host atoms).
Cite this entry
APA

crystallographic defect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystallographic%20defect

MLA

“crystallographic defect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystallographic%20defect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crystallographic defect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystallographic%20defect.

Source: crystallographic defect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.