cryptomericadj.

1876 Engin. & Mining Jrnl. 22 391/2 Many..solids are among those which never have shown any evidence of crystalline structure: for example: cellulose, as wood, vegetable ivory, etc.; gelatine..and generally the colloid class of Graham, which cannot be regarded as merely cryptomeric or crypto-crystalline.

1890 J. G. Heck Princ. Geol. 226 Another form of metamorphism exhibited by the arenaceous rocks is the conversion of granular sandstones into the cryptomeric or amorphous quartzites.

1903 W. Cross et al. Quantitative Classif. Igneous Rocks 26 Rocks..were grouped in many ways. They were considered as..simple or composite; in another view as phanomeric or cryptomeric, and so on.

1905 Bot. Gaz. 39 303 Races which show the possession of such latent characters that are externalized as a result of crossing he [sc. Tschermak] has designated..as ‘cryptomeric’ races.

1965 Auk 82 500 Phaeomelanin (red brown) genes can be expressed in the later ontogeny of solid black chicks, but phaeomelanin genes are cryptomeric in the latter ontogeny of white-spotted black chicks.

1999 U.S. Patent 5,959,172 3 The GFD breed of turkey contains a unique genetic mutation which suppresses the masking or epistatic effect of the recessive White gene and permits the expression of hidden or cryptomeric color genes.