cristal

crystal; glass

noun krees-TAHL Less Common

Origin: From Latin crystallum, from Greek krystallos (clear ice, crystal).

Usage Note

Cristal in everyday Spanish often means a pane of glass (el cristal de la ventana = 'the window pane'), not only mineral crystal. In mineralogy it is a proper crystal. Vidrio is a near-synonym but more technical; cristal is preferred in Spain for glass surfaces. The adjective cristalino means 'crystal-clear' or refers to the eye's crystalline lens.

Examples

"El cristal de la ventana estaba roto."

Natural Translation

The window pane was broken.

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