Tectonically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that pertains to the structural shifts and dynamics of the Earth's outer layer, affecting geological formations and seismic occurrences
2. In a manner associated with the movements and processes of the Earth's crust, which play a role in shaping landscapes and causing earthquakes
3. In a manner relating to the movements and interactions of the Earth's tectonic plates, influencing geological features and seismic events

Etymology: "Tectonically" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "tectonic" with the adverbial ending "-ally" added. The adjective itself comes from Latin "tectonicus," borrowed from Greek "tektonikos," meaning "of building" or "of a builder." That Greek root, "tekton," meant "carpenter" or "builder," so the word's deepest sense is about construction. Geologists took it up in the twentieth century to describe how large rigid plates of the Earth's crust move, deform and collide, and the Greek idea of structural building survives in that sense of large-scale shaping. The adverb is simply the adjective "tectonic" with "-ally," the same ending found in words like "basically" and "logically," which turns an adjective into a description of manner. So "tectonically" describes something happening in the way tectonic processes do, such as a region being shaped tectonically or a fault behaving tectonically.

Synonyms: geologically, structurally