Uncrystallized

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not having taken the form of crystals, remaining in an amorphous or unorganized state ; not yet developed into a clear, settled, or definite form
2. Lacking a crystalline structure, so that the material has not solidified into orderly crystals ; still vague, unfixed, or undecided in form and substance
3. Describing something that has not condensed into a crystal lattice or a precise shape ; remaining loose, formless, and not yet firmly defined

Etymology: "Uncrystallized" is simply "crystallized" with the negating prefix "un-" attached, so its history is largely that of its parts. The prefix is an old native English one: it descends from the Old English "and-" and "on-", which meant "against" or "back" and carried a reversing sense that survives in words like "undo" and "unbutton." The base word comes from "crystallize," meaning to form into crystals, from the noun "crystal." The adjective describes something that has not yet taken on a settled, solid, or definite form. Chemists and mineralogists use it for substances that have not hardened into an ordered crystalline structure, and writers have extended it to ideas, plans, or feelings that have not yet firmed up. Because "crystallize" itself gained figurative senses, "uncrystallized" naturally follows, describing thoughts or intentions still waiting to be fixed in words or action.

Antonyms: crystallized