- tectonic (adj.)
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- 1650s, "of or relating to building or construction," from Late Latin tectonicus, from Greek tektonikos "pertaining to building," from tekton (genitive tektonos) "builder, carpenter, woodworker; master in any art (sculpture, metal-work, writing)," from PIE root *teks- "to make" (see texture (n.)). The geological sense, "pertaining to the structure of the Earth's crust," is recorded from 1887.