Tectonic
adj ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Of or relating to construction or to architecture. not-comparable
- 2 Structural. not-comparable
- 3 Of, relating to, or caused by large-scale movements of the Earth's (or a similar planet's) lithosphere. not-comparable
"A boiling hot rock planet with extreme tectonic activity, Parnassus is home to many volcanic mountains. Surface scans reveal several geothermal and solar power stations, tapping the planet's abundant energy."
- 4 Momentous, utter, vast. figuratively, not-comparable
"But it would be a mistake to imagine that we are benignly coming full circle, or even that we are finding that the old ways are still the most efficient. A tectonic shift has occurred."
- 1 of or pertaining to construction or architecture wordnet
- 2 pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust wordnet
Example
More examples"In recent years, with a method called VLBI that uses quasar observations, and by GPS we have begun to understand the absolute movement of tectonic plates."
Etymology
1650s, in sense of building, from Late Latin tectonicus, from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós, “pertaining to building”), from Ancient Greek τέκτων (téktōn, “carpenter, joiner, maker”), from Proto-Indo-European *teḱ- (“to make”) (from which also texture). In sense of geology, attested 1894. By surface analysis, Ancient Greek τέκτων (téktōn) + -ic (“pertaining to”).
Related phrases
More for "tectonic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.