unit cell

noun

: the simplest polyhedron that embodies all the structural characteristics of and by indefinite repetition makes up the lattice of a crystal

Examples of unit cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One way to do that is to plot the relationship between frequency and wavenumber—the number of wave cycles that fit within one unit cell of the crystal’s lattice. Susumu Noda, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024 Christopher Smith was found unresponsive by a detention officer last week in a medical unit cell. Jozsef Papp, ajc, 18 Aug. 2023 Bearing in mind that nothing can travel through the grid faster than one unit cell per unit time, the authors say there are good reasons to think that all sufficiently slow spaceship velocities ought to be possible. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023 Alexander Hawkins, 66, was pronounced dead last month after being found unresponsive in a medical unit cell while awaiting trial. Teddy Grant, ABC News, 6 Sep. 2023 On August 17, 66-year-old Alexander Hawkins was found unresponsive in a medical unit cell and died, the sheriff’s office said. Devon M. Sayers, CNN, 31 Aug. 2023 This past Thursday, Alexander Hawkins, 66, was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive in a medical unit cell while awaiting trial. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2023 That includes a 66-year-old man being held on a shoplifting charge who was found unresponsive in a medical unit cell on Thursday morning and died, according to the sheriff’s office. Ben Brasch, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2023 In a statement, the sheriff’s office confirmed Alexander Hawkins, 66, was found unresponsive in a medical unit cell at the Fulton County Jail. Jozsef Papp, ajc, 18 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unit cell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unit cell was in 1907

Dictionary Entries Near unit cell

Cite this Entry

“Unit cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unit%20cell. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on unit cell

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!