cholesteric

adjective

cho·​le·​ster·​ic ˌkō-lə-ˈster-ik  kə-ˈle-stə-rik 

: of, relating to, or being the phase of a liquid crystal characterized by arrangement of molecules in layers with the long molecular axes parallel to one another in the plane of each layer and incrementally displaced in successive layers to give helical stacking compare nematic, smectic

Word History

Etymology

cholesteric relating to cholesterol, from French cholesterique

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

cholesteric

adjective

cho·​les·​ter·​ic kə-ˈles-tə-rik; ˌkō-lə-ˈster-ik  ˌkäl-ə- 

: of, relating to, or resembling cholesterol or its derivatives