tectonic

adjective

tec·​ton·​ic tek-ˈtä-nik How to pronounce tectonic (audio)
Synonyms of tectonicnext
1
: of or relating to tectonics
2
: having a strong and widespread impact
a tectonic shift in voting patterns
tectonically
tek-ˈtä-ni-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce tectonic (audio)
adverb

Synonyms

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Examples of tectonic in a Sentence

There has been a recent tectonic shift in voting patterns. a tectonic shift in societal trends occurred in the 1960s
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, vegetation changed dramatically as the Australian tectonic plate drifted northward and the climate became more arid. —Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe, The Conversation, 20 May 2025 But, as usual, the writing and the cast deliver, particularly Dowd who makes the tectonic shift feel thoroughly authentic and earned. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025 The tectonic collision then unleashed a flow of molten rock beneath the mountains. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 13 May 2025 This tectonic boundary is capable of producing megathrust earthquakes that strike with little warning and affect hundreds of miles of coastline simultaneously. —Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tectonic

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from German tektonisch "pertaining to broader structural features of the earth's crust," earlier "of building or construction," borrowed from Late Latin tectonicus "of a builder or architect," borrowed from Greek tektonikós "of a carpenter, skilled in carpentry or building," from tekton-, téktōn "woodworker, carpenter, craftsman" + -ikos -ic entry 1; téktōn going back to Indo-European *tetḱ-on- (whence also Sanskrit takṣan-, tákṣā "carpenter," Avestan tašan-, tašā "builder, creator"), n-stem derivative from a verbal base *tetḱ- "fashion, produce," whence Sanskrit tákṣati "(s/he) fashions, builds from wood," Avestan tāšt "(s/he) forms," Latvian tešu, tèst "to hew," Old Church Slavic tešǫ, tesati "to hew, fell," (with o-grade) Lithuanian tašýti "to hew"

Note: A root of the form *tetḱ- would be peculiar for Indo-European. Helmut Rix, et al., (Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2. Ausgabe, Wiesbaden, 2001) rescue the situation by hypothesizing that *tetḱ- represents a pre-Indo-European reduplicated aorist, *te-tḱ-, of a root *teḱ-, seen in unreduplicated form in Greek téknon "child, young of an animal" and étekon, tekeîn, aorist of tíktō, tíktein "to give birth to, beget, generate" (see dystocia). However—aside from the certain correspondence of Greek téktōn with Vedic Sanskrit takṣan-, Avestan tašan- —all other outcomes of this supposed root can be accounted for as *teḱ-s-, an extended form of *teḱ-. To explain this anomaly, Andrew Sihler (New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, 1995, p. 225) hypothesizes that téktōn is a conflation of a regular derivative *texōn and an unattested agentive derivative *téktōr, going back to *teks-tor-, (with cluster simplification as in hektós "sixth" corresponding to héx "six"). Traditionally added to the compared forms given in the etymology above are Latin texere "to weave, form by plaiting or twining, construct" and other words (see at text entry 1). See also technical entry 1.

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tectonic was in 1894

Rhymes for tectonic

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Browse Nearby Words

Tectona
tectonic
tectonics
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Cite this Entry

“Tectonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tectonic. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

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tectonic

adjective
tec·​ton·​ic tek-ˈtän-ik How to pronounce tectonic (audio)
: of or relating to tectonics
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