How to pronounce tectonic
American English pronunciation
tek-TON-ik
- IPA
- /tɛkˈtɑnɪk/
- Syllables
- tek · TON · ik (3 syllables, stress on the 2nd)
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What tectonic means
Having to do with the huge moving slabs of Earth's crust
In a sentence: Tectonic forces slowly pushed the land up into tall mountains.
Where it comes from: It comes through Latin from a Greek word for a builder or carpenter. It first had to do with building, and the sense about the earth dates from 1894.
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