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Definition of "tectonic" []

  • Geology Relating to, causing, or resulting from structural deformation of the earth's crust. (adjective)
  • Relating to construction or building. (adjective)
  • Architectural. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "tectonic" in a sentence
  • "But increasingly, there are observers and thinkers who say that the world is in the middle of what they call a tectonic shift in the way that we work - which creates the economy - and technology has made it possible to do more or build more steel, make more cars or shoes, grow more food with fewer people."
  • "It's funny you should say that, because I recently heard from John Dewey, who is a very important figure in tectonic plate theory."
  • "There was a recent discovery in human terms that the earth a surface is broken up into these enormous plates called tectonic plates, tectonic sort of a Greek word that means build or builder."