smec·tic
(smĕk′tĭk)adj. Of or relating to the mesomorphic phase of a liquid crystal in which molecules are closely aligned in a distinct series of layers, with the axes of the molecules lying perpendicular to the plane of the layers.
[From Greek smēktos, smeared, from smēkhein, to wash off.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
smectic
(ˈsmɛktɪk) adj (Chemistry)
chem (of a substance) existing in or having a mesomorphic state in which the molecules are oriented in layers. Compare
nematic See also
liquid crystal [C17: via Latin from Greek smēktikos, from smēkhein to wash; from the soaplike consistency of a smectic substance]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
smec•tic
(ˈsmɛk tɪk)
adj. (of liquid crystals) noting a mesomorphic state in which the arrangement of the molecules is in layers. Compare
nematic. [1920–25; < French smectique (1922) < Latin smēcticus cleansing]
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