polymer
UK /ˈpɒl.ɪ.mə/ · US /ˈpɑ.lɪ.mɚ/ noun
Forms polymers
- noun (organic chemistry) A long or larger molecule consisting of a chain or network of many repeating units, formed by chemically bonding together many identical or similar small molecules called monomers. A polymer is formed by polymerization, the joining of many monomer molecules.
- noun A material consisting of such polymer molecules.
Etymology
From poly- + -mer, from Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, “many”) + μέρος (méros, “part”). Coined by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1833, though his definition was quite different from the modern one.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any one of two or more substances related to each other by polymerism; specifically, a substance produced from another substance by chemical polymerization. [Formerly also written polymere.]
Etymology [See Polymeric.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “polymer”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details