tectonic

[ tek-ton-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to building or construction; constructive; architectural.
2. Geology.
   1. pertaining to the structure of the earth's crust.
   2. referring to the forces or conditions within the earth that cause movements of the crust.
   3. designating the results of such movements:

      tectonic valleys.

tectonic

/ tɛkˈtɒnɪk /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to construction or building
2. geology
   1. (of landforms, rock masses, etc) resulting from distortion of the earth's crust due to forces within it
   2. (of processes, movements, etc) occurring within the earth's crust and causing structural deformation

tectonic

/ tĕk-tŏn′ĭk /

1. Relating to the forces involved in plate tectonics or the structural features resulting from them.

Derived Forms

• tecˈtonically, adverb

Other Words From

• tec·toni·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tectonic¹

1650–60; < Late Latin tectonicus < Greek tektonikós pertaining to construction, equivalent to tekton- (stem of téktōn ) carpenter + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of tectonic¹

C17: from Late Latin tectonicus, from Greek tektonikos belonging to carpentry, from tektōn a builder

Example Sentences

If China does take a more central role, it would mark a tectonic shift in the COP process.

From BBC

His own comment in a newspaper, that the "tectonic plates" in the Labour Party were moving, gave rise to suggestions of manoeuvring within the cabinet.

From BBC

“The plans to instrument all of Tibet are particularly ambitious and exciting, as this is one of the most tectonically active regions on Earth,” says James Hammond, a seismologist at Birkbeck, University of London.

From Science Magazine

Tuesday's results may offer additional evidence of how these tectonic shifts in American politics, only partially realised over the past eight years, are reshaping the US political map.

From BBC

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates, and has about 130 active volcanoes.

From BBC

Related Words

• anatomical
• architectural
• basic
• constitutional
• skeletal