time crystal

noun

A periodic biological system.

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Meanings

time crystal1

nountime crystal (plural time crystals)

plural time crystals

  1. biologyA periodic biological system.

time crystal2

nountime crystal (plural time crystals)

plural time crystals

  1. quantum mechanicsA crystal that has a structure that repeats not only in space, but also in time.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
space-time crystal

Origin

time crystal · noun

Coined by American biologist Arthur Winfree in 2001. An analogue to crystals, which have repetitive patterns in space.

Full word history & related roots →

time crystal · noun

Coined by American physicist Frank Wilczek in 2012. An extension of the concept of a crystal to encompass time.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: time crystal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.