tectonic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to building or construction; constructive; architectural.
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Geology.
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pertaining to the structure of the earth's crust.
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referring to the forces or conditions within the earth that cause movements of the crust.
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designating the results of such movements.
tectonic valleys.
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adjective
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denoting or relating to construction or building
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geology
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(of landforms, rock masses, etc) resulting from distortion of the earth's crust due to forces within it
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(of processes, movements, etc) occurring within the earth's crust and causing structural deformation
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Other Word Forms
- tectonically adverb
Etymology
Origin of tectonic
1650–60; < Late Latin tectonicus < Greek tektonikós pertaining to construction, equivalent to tekton- (stem of téktōn ) carpenter + -ikos -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Researchers have long suspected that tectonic processes -- that is, movements of the Earth's crust -- played a central role in the formation of the King's Trough," says lead author Dr. Antje Dürkefälden, marine geologist at GEOMAR.
From Science Daily
Studying these deep tremors could provide new clues about the crust mantle boundary and the behavior of the upper mantle, which generates volcanic magma and helps drive tectonic plate motion.
From Science Daily
Both Earth and the Moon experience tectonic forces, but they operate very differently.
From Science Daily
The earthquake swarm that began in late January 2025 occurred in this same tectonically active zone.
From Science Daily
The findings provide an up-close look at how the housing market’s tectonic shifts have played out across America.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
